Teen Titans: Fireworks
by BatEagle
Summary: After the events of Justice League vs Teen Titans, Damian attempts to bond with his new teammates... especially Raven. Officially hosted at teentitansfireworks(dot)tumblr(dot)com. Updates will be posted there first!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 _Titans Tower. April 2nd, 2016. 5:43 AM._

Damian Wayne shambled out of his bedroom, slightly dazed from exhaustion, and slowly made his way into the elevator. He had been up all night slaving away at his computer, cataloging all of the events that had transpired since he had arrived at Titans Tower... which, although he was no stranger to large-scale affairs occurring so suddenly (he was the Son of Batman, after all), even Damian had to admit that the ordeal he and his new partners had gone through was rather… Daunting, to say the least. In the span of only three days, he had moved all the way from New Jersey to California, participated in an attack on the Justice League, and helped a half-demon sorceress defeat her own father, who just so happened to be _literally_ the Devil himself.

But Damian was well-prepared for that amount of action. He was a trained assassin prince with the blood of the Batman in his veins; leading a siege on the most powerful beings on Earth, and even in Hell, was well within his capabilities. But documenting such a monumental event was not an easy task. Not to say that he was inept regarding computers, of course; he had an astounding grasp on practically every programming language used by most major world governments, and he could crack into any computer security system with relative ease. Damian knew computers just fine. But the amount of detail required for the archives of the Teen Titans was almost unbelievable. He couldn't begin to fathom how difficult it must be to make such documentation for the Justice League… Which in turn led Damian to a newfound respect for his father's mental fortitude, given that it was usually Bruce who handles the League's archives.

As the elevator opened back up, Damian stumbled briefly when he stepped out, halting for a moment and blinking profusely to regain his balance. As he attempted to rub the tiredness from his eyes, the boy decided that perhaps tea would help to restore his senses. He dragged his feet along the floor as he shuffled into the kitchen, but stopped in the doorway out of confusion at what he'd found. Sitting on the stove was a pot of freshly brewed tea. Damian blinked a few more times, his sleep-deprived brain taking longer than usual to reach the logical conclusion: someone else was already awake. He shrugged at the thought and poured himself a cup, taking a sip and quickly recognizing the familiar taste of Earl Grey. He finished his tea in a few moments, the caffeine helping his mind to sharpen back to an acceptable level. Once he'd washed and stored his cup and saucer, Damian figured he may as well head up to the roof; perhaps some fresh air would help further awaken him. He boarded the elevator again and proceeded upward.

The elevator door opened once more, and Damian took in a deep breath of the spring air. As he walked out onto the roof, the gentle breeze drifting across his face, he was surprised to find that he was not alone. Already sitting on the roof, facing out to the east, was another person. Damian instantly recognized the figure, and walked quietly toward them, sitting down on their right.

"Good morning, Raven."

The mage girl left her eyes closed, but let out a sigh in reaction to Damian's greeting. "Good morning, Damian," she said, her voice quiet and breathy. As Damian looked at her, he felt an unusual feeling in his chest. He recognized it from only once before: it had happened on the night Koriand'r dragged the team to the fair, when he and Raven locked eyes on the Ferris wheel. He needed to remember to write that down, so that later he could look into this phenomenon. But for the moment, his attention was fixated on the Titan to his left... as were his eyes. It was peculiar that he had never really stopped and observed her before; sitting cross-legged on the roof, Raven maintained healthy posture, her back kept straight as she performed her meditation. Her arms looked relaxed, her hands resting in a face-up open position on her thighs, and her breathing was apparently disciplined, as a visible rise and fall with each slow breath was present not in her chest, but in her stomach, indicating that she was taking in more air at a slower rate than most people would. Another thing that intrigued Damian was her attire: he was under the impression that all the clothes Raven owned were either black or gray. But this morning she was dressed in a pair of pastel-red pajama bottoms, and a light periwinkle tank-top. He said nothing, but he noted to himself that these lighter colors complimented her pale skin quite well. Turning his attention back to her pose, Damian could not help but notice that one of her shoulders was slightly tensed; there was no indication in her expression, but Damian could tell that she was in discomfort.

"Damian… Why are you staring at me?"

The boy blinked for a moment, snapping his attention onto her inquiry. "I'm sorry, what?" To this, Raven turned her head slowly towards him and opened her eyes. Clearly not the eyes of an ordinary mortal, Raven's irises were filled with what could only be described as gently swirling clouds of rich purple. When Damian met her gaze, he felt that same odd feeling in his chest, the one he couldn't quite identify… He couldn't understand why this only happened when he was with Raven. But he was intent on figuring it out.

"Your shoulder," Damian asked, shifting his focus for the moment. "You're in pain, aren't you?"

Raven glanced down at her tensed arm, her eyes lingering on it for a moment. "It's… It's not that bad. Just a side-effect of my current condition. The more he pushes to escape, the more it hurts me." She looked back up to Damian. "I guess that's what I get for trapping the Devil inside me."

Damian shook his head. "You don't have to just bear it, though. Pain through tension can be treated. Part of what they taught me in the League of Assassins is how to do exactly that."

Raven raised an eyebrow at her friend's statement. "… The elite organization of _killers_ … Taught you how to give a _massage_?"

"Naturally," Damian replied. "We may have been taught to ignore pain when in action, but we were also taught to remove all unnecessary pain in preparation for the next time we are called to act."

Raven just stared blankly at him for a moment. "… You're saying you want to rub my shoulder."

"Why would I not? You should be at your best the next time we're on assignment. You won't be at your best with your shoulder messed up like that."

Raven shook her head and cracked a half-smile, a quiet chuckle barely sounding in her throat. "Alright, fine. See if it helps if you really want."

Without another word, Damian moved behind Raven and placed one hand in position on her right shoulder, the other gently on her left arm for stability. Carefully, he began to slide his thumb down her back, until he located a knot beneath the exposed skin. He continued his observation as he worked: Raven's skin was very soft, just like he thought earlier. Surprisingly, she was also quite warm to the touch. Taking great care not to hurt her, Damian worked his thumb into the muscle beneath her shoulder blade. As he worked at the contusion, Damian noticed Raven's head rolling back slowly. He tried to ignore it as he continued, but just as the knot in her back was easing up and her shoulder relaxing, a low, think sigh slipped quietly out of Raven's throat. Immediately, his heart began beating faster, and his brow furrowed in response. Slowly, Damian pulled his hands away from the girl.

"Better…?" he asked.

Raven looked down at her shoulder for a moment before looking back at him. "Yes…" she said, almost at a whisper. "I don't know how you did it, but the pain is… completely gone. Thank you."

"Think nothing of it," Damian replied, getting himself to his feet. He helped lift Raven up to stand as well, and just as the two exchanged another glance, the first beams of sunlight broke out over the horizon. She gave him a little smile, and then the two of them turned and watched as the yellow sun emerged over the edge of the earth, casting bright orange reflections onto the purplish-blue clouds of dawn.

Damian's mind, now fully alert, was racing with all this new information. For whatever reason, certain interactions between himself and Raven were causing abnormal cardiac behavior. These irregularities were not inherently unpleasant, but they were still unexplained, and this made Damian uneasy. With more and more questions burning into Damian's mind, he was only certain of one thing: he needed to observe whatever effect Raven was having on his heart more closely... and that meant that he needed to spend more time in her presence.

As he continued to process all of the information he was gathering, Damian failed to notice his gaze drifting to the silky exposed skin of Raven's upper back. Raven, on the other hand, did end up noticing.

"Are you gonna keep staring at me?" She asked, raising an eyebrow again. Damian blinked a few times, then shook his head and walked back to the elevator and pushed the call button. She smirked and walked over to join him, and the two boarded the elevator to go join their friends for breakfast.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 _August 27th, 2016. 9:53 PM._

The streets of Jump City at night are a different animal than those of Gotham. Damian figured that out early on. Back home, the sidewalks in the late hours were almost always wet, complimenting the dank air. The streets were quieter at home, because there were frankly just less people who had the nerve to be out and about at night. Even civilians dreaded Gotham at night, and not just because of the thugs… But Jump City was alive. The air smelled cleaner, the lights shown brighter, and the good people weren't so scared of the things that lived in the night. It still felt like foreign territory to Robin, but it was also somewhat refreshing; he didn't feel the need to fight for his place in this city. It felt like, for the first time, he was welcome.

But even a city as inviting as this was not without crime. And Damian still had work to do. Right now, he was perched on the roof of an old apartment building on the east side, his teammates scattered around the area keeping a keen eye out for a certain character– Lester Butchinsky, a punk kid who called himself "Electrocutioner". Nothing too major, but still enough to warrant attention from the Titans, apparently. If he hurt anyone, it would be on their heads. Damian wasn't about to let that happen. He was fully alert, and confident that his team would be ready to back him up. He lowered the binoculars from his face and glanced over to Raven, who was positioned on the same rooftop.

"How are you feeling?" he said, knowing she'd been feeling the pressure of her father's constant struggle within her.

Raven gave a small nod in reply. "Nothing right now, thank Azar…" She turned and looked at him, her amethystine eyes glowing from underneath the shadow cast by her hood. "I appreciate you looking out for me, Damian. It's good to know you care."

Damian smiled. "You're a good friend, Raven. And a valuable teammate. I'm going to do what's necessary to keep you in good condition."

Raven just smiled and shook her head. Damian always meant well, but his means of expressing his personal feelings were still rather uncouth.

Damian's face reddened subtly and he turned his attention back to the alley below. He was glad to have Raven with him on assignment. He trusted everyone on his team, but there was just something about Raven… Despite the strange phenomena he experienced in his chest cavity when she was around, he enjoyed her company. There was something special about the way she talked to him, the little smirk she got whenever he said something "not normal", the way her eyes seemed to pierce right through him…

"Robin! _ROBIN!_ "

He jolted back to reality. For heaven's sake, what was he doing? He needed to focus! He turned to Raven, who was pointing frantically back to the street. He followed her gesture down and immediately burned with focus. Butchinsky had arrived, and was advancing on a teenager dressed in dirty, raggedy clothes, backed against the wall. Robin immediately began his descent toward the confrontation.

"You think you can just walk in here and take from ME?" Butchinsky growled as he stepped slowly towards the kid at his feet, his gauntlets crackling with power.

"C-come on, man! I didn't mean to disrespect you! Honest!" the street rat fumbled about trying to climb to his feet. Butchinsky delivered a swift kick directly to the kid's stomach, and he crumpled to the ground in pain.

"But you did. You know who I am, boy?" Butchinsky pounded his fists together, sending sparks cracking all around. "I'm the freakin' Electrocutioner!" He raised a charged fist over his head, ready to pound the thunder into this punk…

That instant, a pair of red blades suck into Butchinsky's gauntlet, beeping for a moment before exploding, sending Lester flying a few feet away. He glared up to see what happened, only to link eyes with a cloaked figure standing defiantly in the alleyway.

"You wanna go a few rounds, Butchinsky?" Damian growled, his fists clenching. " _Come on_ , then."

Butchinsky started barreling towards the new kid, roaring as he charged forward. Robin leapt into the air, his demeanor collected and focused, and delivered a swift kick to Electrocutioner's jaw. The older punk stumbled back as Damian hit the ground, quickly shifting into a combat stance. Raven helped the other kid to his feet and led him to safety as Damian and Butchinsky began to exchange blows. Each time Butchinsky swung, Damian quickly deflected each attack, and prepared to sweep his legs. But Lester proved more reflexive than expected, and was able to grab Damian by the leg, and hoist him into the air. Robin quickly broke free from Butchinsky's grip, but as he landed he received a cold clock across his jaw. As he stumbled about disoriented, Butchinsky charged up, ready to shock this kid all the way to the morgue…

Damian blinked.

The air cracked open behind him.

A blue and red blur rushed past him.

The wind that followed nearly blew him off his feet.

What in the name of…?

Damian looked up. Butchinsky was out cold, held up in the air by the last thing Damian expected to see: it was a kid, with shaggy black hair. He wore a pair of worn-out red sneakers, ripped-up blue jeans, and a blue jacket with a red cape attached to the back, the shield of Superman on his chest. He looked down at Damian with bright blue eyes and a grin that seemed to radiate excitement and pride.

"Hey there!" the Kryptonian piped, dropping the thug to the ground before floating down to Damian, extending his hand. "I'm Superboy. Guess we're teammates now!"

 _August 28th, 2016. 5:47 AM._

Damian and Raven boarded the elevator and pressed the roof button. The two of them had been watching the sun come up together every day for the past few months. It was a good opportunity to get to know each other, as well as to prepare themselves for the day ahead. They pulled strength from one another, and it became a ritual they looked forward to each morning.

As the door opened to the roof, Damian and Raven were surprised to find someone there already: he sat out at the edge of the roof, looking down at the tablet in his hands and talking. As the two approached him, he turned and beamed a smile back at them and beckoned them to come over.

"Hey guys! C'mere, I want you to meet my dad!" Damian and Raven looked over the boy's shoulders as he turned back to the screen. "Dad, these are my new teammates! This is Raven and Robin!"

On the other end of the call was a man with the same black hair and blue eyes as their new partner. This man was dressed in a flannel shirt and work pants, with what looked like some kind of blue suit underneath, and brown work boots. His jaw was incredibly defined, and he was built like a champion.

"Hey you two! Nice to meet you both, I'm Clark. Clark White." The man smiled, a strand of hair drooping into a curl on his forehead. Robin's eyes widened as he recognized the man.

"… _Superman?_ " He whispered. "I thought you were… well, dead."

Clark sighed. "It's complicated, Robin. We're… not exactly from around here. The Superman you remember really _is_ dead. But now I'm here to continue his work."

Raven nodded. "We understand. And thank you for sending us your son. He's going to be a valuable member of our team."

"I'm sure he will," the man said with a smile. "I gotta go get to work in the field. You be good for Ms. Kori, alright kiddo?"

"Yes sir!" The young boy said beaming. "Love you, dad! Bye!"

The call ended, and Superboy set the tablet aside, turning to his teammates behind him. "I never actually introduced myself last night, did I?" He stood up and pulled the two of them into a hug. "I'm Jon! Jon White!"

Damian shuffled uncomfortably in the boy's embrace. "I assume that that's– _enh_ – a pseudonym for Jon Kent?"

Jon pulled his arms back from around the two. "Yup. It's a really long story, but I'm, like... half-alien. I dunno how that works. Dad wanted me to come here so I could learn to work with people besides him."

Raven put her hand on Jon's shoulder and smiled at him. "Well, we're very glad to have you with us, Jon. Welcome to the Teen Titans.

Jon grinned back at Raven, just as the sun tossed its golden beams over the sky. The three stood and watched as the expanse of heaven above them illuminated with life. The Titans were growing, and things were definitely beginning to change.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 _December 24th, 11:46 PM._

God, why is everyone obsessed with Christmas?

Damian sat on the couch in the Titans' living room, legs crossed and his head back as he stared up at the ceiling. Everyone had been going on and on about Christmas since October. Even the media almost completely glossed over Thanksgiving. He much preferred Thanksgiving, truly; autumn at Wayne Manor was something not to be missed. The chill in the air mixed with the orange and brown of the trees, colors that simply didn't exist in Gotham outside of Sheldon Park, against the clear blue sky and bold golden sunlight made everything look just a little less dreary, but not so relentlessly cheery that it would make him nauseous. All his father's adopted children would come home; Grayson would always bring Gordon's daughter, and Drake would come with Stephanie, and even Todd showed up this year. They all did their best to keep in touch with one another over the year, but it was just special to see each other exclusively outside of business. Swapping stories was never his favorite part of the occasion, but it was different this year. This year, Damian had something to actually talk about. And talk he did. Helping the new Superboy develop his powers, protecting Jump City, dealing with Gar… He's been busy. But something Drake said got to him, something that's been bothering him since he got back to the Tower…

"Hey, Robin!"

Damian rolled his eyes as he turned and glanced at the source of the chipper voice: Jon Kent, the big blue ball of positivity he's been working with for the past four months, sat down next to him on the couch, a mug of warm cocoa in his hands. Why did he have to sit right next to him? It's not that he was a pain, he's actually a great teammate and enjoyable to be around, but he was practically on top of him.

"Jonathan, please. We're not even on assignment, call me by my first name."

Jonathan just smiled wide and rested his head on Damian's shoulder. Oh god, he was so cheery. He was like Damian's polar opposite. "Why're you over here all by yourself? It's Christmas, Dame!"

"I never cared much for the winter holidays growing up," Damian sighed. "My grandfather… _Ra's_ didn't celebrate any holidays. To him, they were just another day of leading his people."

"Well, you're not with your grandpa anymore, buddy!" Jonathan straightened up and took a sip of his hot chocolate. "You're with the Titans now. More importantly, you're with the Kents. Hey dad, can we get another cocoa over here for Damian?"

Superman walked over right on cue, big smile and a cocoa in hand. Like Jonathan grown up, no wonder Father didn't invite him over for Thanksgiving. "Sure thing, pal! Here," he placed a warm mug in Damian's hands. "Ma Kent's secret recipe!"

Damian shrugged and took a sip. "Mm…" He took a moment to really analyze the flavor. It was simple, something you could make at home for cheap, but there was something charming about that. Made it feel more like home. "Thank you, Mr. Kent." The man smiled back at him, then went back into the kitchen.

Jon leaned back, slinging his arm over the couch. He rolled his head around to look sarcastically at Damian, his electric blue eyes shining through strands of black hair. "Look, I know ya don't care for parties, or hanging out, or fun in general…" Damian furrowed his brow and Jon cracked a smirk. "But how about you at least come down to the theater with me? Rae and me were gonna watch 'It's a Wonderful Life', and she wanted me to ask you to come watch it with us. She says it's one of her favorites."

Damian perked up for a second, quickly returning to his typical scowl to hide his underlying interest. "Hmm… Well, I suppose I could. After all, the theater is practically the only room in the entire Tower not covered with garland." He sat for a moment before nodding and standing up from the couch. "Alright Jonathan. I'm in."

"Sweet! Come on, she's gettin' everything set up," Jon leapt to his feet, and stopped just for a moment and leaned in to whisper in Damian's ear. "By the way, I can see your heart get faster when she's around. You should totally just tell 'er." He pulled away from Damian and winked, grinning that goofy childlike grin, before vaulting over the couch and heading for the elevator.

Damian blinked for a moment. Of course he figured out something was wrong. He's the son of Superman. It's not like it was a big deal, he was going to tell him anyway, but… No. Jon thought wrong. Just like Drake. Oh, for… Why does everything keep coming back to Drake?

He shook his head, and joined Jon in the elevator, just as it was closing. As the elevator descended, he could see Jon watching him out of the corner of his eye.  
"It's not like that, Jonathan… I don't know what it is. But it's not…"

"C'mon, dude!" Jon waved him off and laughed. "I know what I saw. Your heart literally skips a beat when she says your name. It's nothin' to be embarrassed about!"

"What you're implying is a weakness," Damian stared daggers into his friend's eyes. "I don't have any weaknesses. I don't allow myself any."

"Alright. Keep tellin' yourself that, Scrooge." Jon winked at him as the elevator doors opened.

"Yeah, well bah…" Damian trailed as he looked into the theater. "… humbug…"

Raven was floating up at the projector, loading the movie onto it. She looked… well, not how Damian expected. She wore a green velvet dress with white stockings, dark red sneakers and gloves, and a red cape with a white fur trim. A Santa hat hung from her head, and she wore a snowflake pendant around her neck. She looked down and smiled as she saw Damian and Jon come in, and floated down to greet them.

"Hey guys," she said, taking off her hat and handing it to Jonathan, who promptly put it on and sauntered off to the front row. "Hey, Damian… Merry Christmas." She handed him a small box, wrapped in candy cane gift wrap. Damian took the box, shaking his head as he opened it. He told her, he just didn't care for…

 _Oh._

Inside the box was a framed photograph. A little girl with ebony hair, and a young woman with the same. They both wore white robes, and smiled in the sunlight… They looked happy.

"You said you wanted to know more about my mom, so…" Raven shrugged, turning slightly red. "… this is what she looked like."

Damian looked down at the photo, then up at Raven, then back down at the photo. "I… I don't–"

"I know we agreed not to exchange presents, I'm sorry," Raven put her hand on Damian's shoulder. His heart fluttered in his chest. "I just… I wanted to make your first Christmas here special."

Damian looked into her eyes. Those deep, swirling, purple eyes… and he just smiled. He couldn't find the words to say what he was feeling, so he just smiled. "Thank you, Raven. It's a good gift."

Raven smiled back, a strand of hair falling into her face. Damian's arm twitched, stopping himself short before reaching up to fix it, Raven pushed it back herself. _No,_ he thought. _He's not right. He can't be…_

Raven turned back and pressed the play button on the remote. She looked back and extended her hand. "Wanna sit with me for the movie?"

Damian nodded, a look of genuine joy in his eyes. "Yeah," he said. "I'd like that."

He and Raven sat down in the back row, and soon the movie started. As the voices of angels conversed over the shot of stars in the night sky, Damian's mind trailed once more back to his conservation with Drake…

"Drake, could I have a word with you?"

Damian stood up straight in the front door of Wayne Manor, hands folded behind his back. Drake smiled, shaking his head as he walked back up the walkway to him. "Come on, Damian," he chuckled, putting a hand on the younger Robin's shoulder. "I've told you a hundred times. Just call me Tim. But yeah, of course, what's up?"

Damian's eyes drifted to the ground as he prepared to explain his problem. "… I think something is wrong with my heart."

"Lots of things are wrong with your heart, dude," Drake joked. "You're gonna have to be more specific."

Damian closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "… Whatever it is, it has something to do with one of my teammates… Raven is her name. Raven Roth."

…

"And this happens every time she's around you?"

"Yes."

Drake stared at Damian for a moment. Totally silent. Oh god, what does he know? Is it serious? What's he going to say?

"Pfft–" Drake just bent over and started laughing. What was so funny about this? Something was seriously wrong! With his heart! This was serious!

"Oh, man…" Drake straightened himself back up, leaning on the doorframe. "Relax, there's nothing wrong with your heart."

"What do you mean? How do you explain what's happening to me?" Damian glared. He couldn't believe this; Drake was mocking him! Mocking his illness!

"Damian… you're in love."

He froze. What did he just say?

"… Come again?"

"Trust me…" Tim looked past Damian, his eyes locking on Stephanie, who stood inside talking to Barbara in the foyer. He smiled and looked back to Damian. "I know from experience."

Damian jolted back to reality to a tug on his arm. He looked over to see Raven looking back at him.

"You okay?" She asked. He nodded, and a half-smile spread across her face. "Well quit your daydreaming, this is a great part!" Damian looked back up at the film. They leading man was going on to his counterpart about lassoing the moon or some nonsense. He just smiled and looked back at Raven, who was totally focused on the movie.

Okay, Damian thought to himself. Maybe Christmas isn't so bad after all.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 _March 24th, 2017. 11:29 AM._

Damian had a fierce grip on the frame of the couch, his knuckles white and shaking. It took everything in him to keep from bolting up and charging into the infirmary, where he could hear Raven crying out in pain. He wouldn't even make it across the room, he knew; Jon had a hand on his shoulder, ready to hold him down if it came to it. Meanwhile, Gar and Jaime were both curled up in opposite corners of the room, their faces twisted in anxiety and concern. Kori stood in the short hallway leading to the infirmary, her arms crossed and tense.

How did he let this happen…?

 _January 2nd, 2017. 9:45 AM._

"Again."

Damian stood firm, his feet planted like an oak in the floormat. The room glowed red around them, special technology developed by his father to simulate the radiation of a red sun. A few feet in front of him, Jon slowly wobbled to his feet. He wasn't used to fighting without his powers. But Damian insisted that he learn to fight like a man before he became overly reliant on being a Superman. The boy wiped the sweat from his brow, and shifted into stance. Fortunately he was every bit as stubborn as his mother. He zeroed in on Damian and shoved off his back heel, shooting forward like a cannon.

Damian stood firm, crossing his forearms in front of him. When Jon collided with the block, Damian's feet scraped backwards about four inches, and he let out a grunt as he shoved back, quickly moving onto his offensive. He launched his palms forward in quick succession, and Jon shifted out of the way of each strike. Jon grabbed Damian's shoulder and twisted around, pulling with all of his might to throw the boy over his shoulder. But as Damian left the ground, he wrapped his legs around Jon's neck, and the two flipped forward in the air before crashing to the floor, Damian's foot holding Jon's head to the floor.

"Better," Damian acknowledged, "but you still have a ways to go." He lifted his foot, and helped Jon to his feet. The half-Kryptonian shook his head, and ran a hand through his hair.

"I… I can't…" he gasped for air, begging his knees to support his weight. "I'm spent… I can't keep goin', dude…"

Just then, the door opened, and the red light switched back to normal. Raven floated into the room, clearly in pain, but still smiling at the sight of her friends.

"Hey, guys… I kinda need a hand here…" Raven slowly dropped to her knees. Damian pat Jon on the back, and Jon fumbled out of the room to go recharge in the sunlight.

Damian knelt down and put a hand on Raven's shoulder. "It's alright. Lie down and tell me where it hurts."

Raven slowly lowered herself down onto her stomach, her cloak sliding off her shoulders. "It's in my back… upper back and shoulders, mostly… and my neck."

Damian lifted himself over the girl's body, putting one foot on either side of her. He brought his hands down onto her back, and ran his fingers along her shoulder blades, feeling out the strain in her muscles. "It's okay. Just try to relax…" He began to push his thumbs into her back, relieving the tension to the best of his ability. This had become more and more of a common occurrence; Trigon had been pushing harder and harder against Raven's mind, trying to break her hold on him. She came to Damian so often now that he was uncommonly familiar with her structure. He'd memorized the muscles of her back, and knew how to put her at ease. As he carefully kneaded the flesh in his hands, Raven let out a thick exhale from deep in her chest. At first this made Damian hesitant, but at this point it didn't even phase him. To him, it was merely a sign that the pain was making its way out of her body. That was good.

After a moment, Damian's hands slowly made their way up to Raven's neck. As his fingers began to gently press into the strained muscles, Raven pulled her legs out from under him and shifted herself into a seated position, allowing Damian to lower himself onto his knees behind her. As the tension began to release, Raven let out another sigh of relief. Her head tilted back and her eyes shut, and Damian continued to ease the pain she was feeling. Within seconds, the pain she was experiencing was gone.

"You're a miracle worker, y'know that?" Raven put a hand on top of his, which was still rested on her neck. Damian's face reddened at the gesture, and he couldn't help but smile.

"I'm just doing what I have to do to be there for my friends," he replied, doing his best to come across as platonic. "I'd do the same for any of you… Well, maybe not Garfield, but he'd be fine."

Raven chuckled and turned, looking into Damian's eyes… He had these pale, icy blue eyes. Eyes that spoke volumes of grief and passion. He shared the same weary gaze as his father. She smiled at him, her heart filled with gratitude. "What would I do without you, Damian?"

Damian looked into her purple eyes, watching them shimmer in a way he'd never seen before. His heart began to flutter again, the same way it'd done time and time again before. But this time, he felt no panic. This time he welcomed the sensation. This time instead of making him panic, it made him feel alive.

 _March 24th, 2017. 11:29 AM._

Damian knew that this was coming. He knew he couldn't combat the force of Trigon's thrashing against her mind with his hands alone. He was an imbecile. He should have told someone about his theory. He suspected that he might have been lowering Raven's defenses. But he kept his theories secret, and now it might cost Raven her life.

"I have to go to her, Jon." Damian stood up. "Move."

"I can't let you do that, Damian. You made me promise." Jon put his hand on Damian's chest. He didn't want to hurt him, but…

"She _needs_ someone in there she knows. She _needs_ her friends." Damian stepped forward, pushing Jon back.

"Your dad and Doctor Fate are doing everything they can," Jon insisted, putting the pressure on Damian, stopping him in his tracks.

"She needs an _anchor_ , to ground her to our world." Damian's eyes burned as he stared into Jon's.

"They have everything under control, _I promise_." Jon's brow furrowed with concern. Damian's hand reached down to his belt. Both of them knew what was hidden within.

"I'm not gonna tell you again, Kent. **MOVE**."

"Jon's eyes began to glow red. " _I can't. I'm sorry._ "

Damian's eyes crashed open. He reached into his belt, grabbing the ring…

" _ **DAAAMIAAAAAN!**_ " Everyone froze as they heard Raven's panicked voice cry out his name.

Jon's hand dropped. "Go."

Without another word, Damian bolted past the Superboy, bounded off the wall past Starfire, and tore down the hallway, moving faster than he'd ever moved in his whole life. He burst through the door of the Infirmary, and his eyes widened at the sight before him.

Raven was pinned against the wall, her limbs spread out and held in place by the golden light of Fate's magic. Her skin was red, and her eyes flowed with a demon light. Her second set of eyes squinted open on her forehead, as she convulsed violently against the wall. Doctor Fate stood on one side of the room, his hands up focused on holding Raven down. The Batman stood in the opposite corner of the room, observing with a stern gaze. Damian launched himself across the room, taking Raven's face in his hands.

" _Raven_! I'm here! Listen to me, I'm right here! It's okay!" Damian cried out in a panic. She writhed under his hands, and he ran his hands into her hair. Her eyes crashed open, and the glow in them dissipated, revealing her purple irises full of fear. Her second set of eyes shut and faded into her skin, which slowly shifted back to its usual pale color. She struggled to draw in her breath, and a tear rolled down her face.

"Damian… h… h-help me… please…" Raven's body went limp, and Fate released his restraints, letting her fall into Damian's arms.

"I'm afraid it's worse than we ever anticipated…" Fate's voice was low and grim under his helmet. "Trigon's struggle has worn her mind threadbare. It could be days from now, it could be months. But sooner or later…"

"He'll kill her," Batman growled. "Raven's body will be destroyed, and Trigon will be free to travel between his world and ours as he pleases."

Damian's knees shook. He turned, meeting Doctor Fate's eyes, determination blazing in his stare. "Tell me what we have to do."

Fate shook his head. "Someone will need to link their mind to hers… Draw Trigon out of her body and into theirs. Then, once they have him, the link will need to be severed, and… Either the person destroys Trigon within the confines of their mind…"

Batman stepped forward. "Or they have to die… destroying them both." He put a hand on Fate's shoulder. "I'll do it. No one else needs to take the risk."

"It isn't quite that simple, Mr. Wayne…" Fate shrugged off Bruce's hand. "The link can only be established with someone who knows the current host on a personal level. A close friend…"

Damian nodded. "She's my best friend. I'll do it."

Fate looked into Damian's eyes. "Are you sure, Robin? If you're unable to overcome him…"

Damian laid Raven gently down on the floor. "I understand the risk… She's more than worth it."

Bruce stepped toward Damian. He looked down at him for a moment, then pulled him into his arms and held him tight. "Be careful, Son."

"Yes, Father." Damian hugged his father tightly. He then laid beside Raven and shut his eyes, as Fate used his magic to establish the connection between the two Titans…

When Damian opened his eyes, all around him was darkness and flame. He could hear the roar of Trigon bellowing all about him, and when he looked down he could see Raven, engulfed in flame, about to give way. Damian knew exactly what to do; he sped down to Raven and grabbed her by the shoulders.

" _TRIGON_!" Damian barked, his voice commanding and furious. "I know you can hear me! You've used up this vessel! She is weak, and can do you no service! You can feel it, I know you can! You want a better weapon? A real, living weapon?" He let go of Raven and thrust his arms out wide. "T _AKE ME_!"

Raven's body contorted in unnatural directions, until her eyes linked with Damian's. As she opened her mouth, the voice she spoke with was not her own.

" **If you insist.** "

A dark vapor shot out of Raven's body, flowing into Damian's. As Trigon entered him, Damian felt his whole body burn with unspeakable agony. In a moment, he felt the last of Trigon's presence leave Raven and deep into him.

" _NOW, FATE! CUT THE CONNECTION NOW!_ "

Suddenly, Damian was blinded by a great white light…

 _Within the confines of Damian's mind…_

" **You are a fool, boy.** " Trigon's voice boomed throughout Damian's being. " **You cannot hope to resist me.** "

Damian's body burned relentlessly, his mind flooded with pain.

" **I am suffering manifest.** "

Damian could see nothing but fire and pain all around.

" **I am malice incarnate.** "

Damian squeezed his eyes shut, and searched for his center.

" **You… You are nothing.** "

Everything in Damian's mind went quiet. The image of Raven's face came to him.

Damian's eyes crashed open, an amethyst light bursting from them. All the flame vanished, leaving Trigon exposed against the white.

"No," Damian growled, " _I'm_ a Titan. _I'm_ the son of Batman. _YOU_ are nothing." He reached out his hand, and his katana manifested itself into his mind. He grasped the hilt firmly, and shot forward, preparing his swing.

" _Mother of Azarath… Grant me STRENGTH!_ " Damian roared the prayer he'd heard Raven repeat time and again. As the truth solidified into his mind, he swung his blade with all of his might, and cleaved the Devil in two. Trigon's lower half faded away, and Robin swung again. This time, all that remained of the great beast was his head.

" **You…** " Trigon's gravelly voice shook with disbelief. " **You risked everything… They would have killed you… Why?** "

Damian raised his sword high above his head, and stared into Trigon's eyes.

" _Because I love her._ "

When Raven came to, she was in Batman's arms. She thrashed instinctively, thinking she was still being attacked by Trigon. Batman just held her still.

"It's alright, Raven. I've got you." Batman's did his best to calm her. She looked around the room and saw Damian lying unconscious on the ground. Fate leaned against the wall, his strength clearly spent.

Raven leapt from Bruce's arms and rushed to Damian's side. As she dropped to her knees, Damian stirred, and slowly began to come to.

" _Damian_! Thank Azar…" she cradled his head in her arms as his eyes drifted slowly open.

Damian looked up at the blurry figure holding him. He didn't need to see her face; he recognized her warmth immediately. He was glad that she was the first thing he saw when he came to. He smiled up at her. "It's over, Raven… He's finally gone."

Raven shuddered at his words. She focused with all her power, and found that… He was right. Trigon the Terrible, the Ancient Serpent, the burden that weighed on her mind every day… He was gone. Not just gone… He didn't exist anymore.

Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes as she drew him closer. "I can't… I can't believe it, Damian… You set me free…"

Damian leaned into the crook of her neck, and gently placed a hand on her cheek. "I had to. I don't…" He closed his eyes and let out a weak sigh. "… I don't know what I would do without you."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 _Jump City. March 30th, 2017. 8:13 AM._

Raven walked out into the kitchen to greet her teammates. She'd been through this ritual time and time again during her time as a Titan; being the first to wake in the morning, greeting the morning sun as it emerged over the bay, and retreating back into the Tower to find her friends crawling into their daily routine. But this morning carried with it a bittersweet overtone. These past few days had been some of the best and brightest of her life; with Trigon finally removed from her mind, it was like seeing the world again for the first time. Her mind was more sharp, and all of her senses seemed almost elevated. She could see things more clearly, hear sounds she had tuned out before. Even her sense of smell seemed as if it had been re-tuned, and she began to appreciate all the little aromas in the world she lived in.

But at the same time, her newfound brightness was somewhat diminished; don't misunderstand, she loved all of her friends. They had all done so much for her, and cared for her when even she couldn't find the heart to care for herself. But Damian was different; Damian was the only friend she had to came even close understanding her plight. She was born of a demon, destined to do unspeakable things. Damian was given a similar fate, being the blood heir to a madman at the head of an ancient order of glorified murderers. The both of them were born to help their predecessors take the world of men for themselves. Only Damian truly understand how difficult it was to discard that destiny, to break free of the confines of her life's purpose, and to forge a different path. Only he understood, because only had done the same thing. She saw herself how hard it was for him…

" _You are an Al-Ghul!" the voice of his grandfather echoed in her mind, as she remembered watching him clutch his sword with both hands in defiance._

" _No…" his own words rang out with fervent determination as he readied himself for one last confrontation with his dark heritage. "… I'm a Titan."_

Damian was the best friend Raven had ever known. He was the one who freed her from father's grip, risking his own life for her sake. She wanted to share her newfound outlook with him… But Damian was gone. No sooner than she found herself freed from the chains she'd been bound in for so long, Batman swooped in and whisked his Robin away to Gotham, on the other side of the country. She understood why he did it, of course; they had no idea what effect Trigon's assault on Damian's soul would have left on the boy. They needed to examine him, run tests, make sure he was still in one piece. But that didn't change the empty space he left behind in the Tower. She missed him.

But she kept her own grievances private as she greeted her friends in the kitchen. Jon floated past her, sipping on a glass of orange juice and waving contently. She smiled and offered a quick wave back, and continued past Jaime, who was half-awake nursing a mug of black coffee, and poured herself another cup from her pot of Earl Grey. As she raised the hot beverage to her lips, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist, pulling her into a hug. She didn't even need to turn around, as the familiar smell quickly revealed who was behind her.

"Morning, Gar." She smiled as Beast Boy's head rested on her shoulder, his dark green stubble gently scratching against her cheek. Usually she detested how overly physical his expressions of feelings were, but it seemed that everything was a little different. Today not even this bothered her.

"Mornin', Rae," he mumbled through his sleepy grin. He unwrapped his arms from around her, and she turned to watch as he leaned up against the countertop behind him. He met her gaze with tired eyes, giving away his lack of restful sleep. She didn't need to be an empath to see that.

"Are you… feeling okay, Garfield?" Raven tilted her head slightly at the sight of the bags beneath his eyes. "You look like you've been up all night."

"Yeah, I've been having some, uhh…" Garfield shook his head. "… some rough dreams lately. No big deal, just, y'know. Not sleeping as well as I usually do."

Raven put a hand on his shoulder. "I know how that gets. I've been there. Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Nah, I'm alright… thanks, though." He grinned back at her. She nodded, deciding to not press the matter. But she felt something… _off_. She could feel something pulling at him.

 _Gotham City. March 30th, 2017. 4:36 PM._

"Father, this is ridiculous."

Damian propped himself up with his elbows on the cold plastic of the infirmary bed, looking over at his father with a look that conveyed, as best he could, the sheer irritation he was experiencing about this whole ordeal. Bruce did not turn around from the charts hanging in front of him, instead electing to keep pouring over the information in front of him. Damian flopped over on the gurney and let out an exaggerated sigh. He was _fine_ ; whatever Trigon may have tried to do to him, it didn't work. The old serpent was gone forever, Damian had made sure of it. Right now, all that mattered was getting back to California. Getting back to Jump City. Getting back to the Titans. Getting back to Raven.

"Your brainwave activity is normal… Good." Bruce finally turned back to face Damian, his eyes reddened with weariness. He'd been running test after test, every examination fathomable, to ensure that his son was alright. "I think that's everything… short of a confessional."

"I think we both know that wouldn't help anything."

"… I'll get Clark on the line. He's the closest thing we have to a decent minister around here."

Damian shook his head as his father walked away. This was preposterous; sure, his father was nothing if not thorough, but he'd never once heard him mention religion before. He was about to shove off and bury himself in his bed when a figure emerged from behind the wall of medical charts around him. Damian knew someone was there, but upon seeing who had been hiding there for the past half hour, he couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes.

"For the record, I'm on your side," Tim Drake said through a smug half-smile, "and I think Bruce knows whatever is going on with you isn't gonna show up on any test."

"That's because there isn't anything going on." Damian crossed his arms, his eyebrow twitching slightly in annoyance. "I'm _fine_."

"Oh, you're perfectly healthy, don't get me wrong," the older boy sighed as he leaned up against the flimsy plastic mattress. "But there's definitely something going on. You're acting different. You're less abrasive, more personable. And I can tell you what it is."

"Oh really?" Damian's voice swirled with sarcasm. "Then tell me, Tim, what's ' _going on with me_ ' exactly?"

"It's that girl," Tim grinned assuredly. "Raven."

Damian almost froze for a split second, but quickly covered his surprise with a dramatic sigh. "Oh no, not this again…"

"Don't try to deny it, man. It's practically tattooed on your forehead. You're in love."

Damian hopped down from the bed and put his hands on his hips. "I'm afraid I don't have any idea what you're talking about."

"Well then let me spell this one out for you," Tim crossed his arms and cleared his throat. "Before you joined the Titans, you would have just as soon cut me in half as you would get out of bed in the morning. You didn't even know my name, because you deemed me 'irrelevant to your destiny'. But now look at you. You're saying please and thank you to Alfred, you're not grunting at everybody, you're overacting to cover up you're emotions just like Bruce…" Damian straightened up suddenly, as if he'd gotten a chill. "… And not two minutes ago, you didn't call me ' _false son_ ', you didn't call me ' _Red Robin_ ', you didn't even call me ' _Drake_ '… You called me _Tim_."

Damian kept his eyes to the floor, quiet and unmoving. Not a single word passed between the two for about seven seconds. Slowly, the younger Robin lifted his eyes and met the other's gaze.

"… What am I supposed to do?"

Tim smiled, his eyes giving off a wave of reassurance, and put his hand on Damian's shoulder. "You take it a day at a time. Don't jump in too fast. Be there when she needs you. Learn how to make her smile, make her laugh. It'll take time, but if you put your whole heart into it, it'll come."

 _Jump City. March 30th, 2017. 9:45 PM._

Pier 64 had become something of a confusing place for Raven. She loved the evening that she and her friends spent there about a year ago, because that was the night that she finally got Damian to start opening up. She got him to smile… _Really_ smile. But then… that was the same night she almost lost everything.

But that night was far behind her. Right now they were here to "unwind" after everything that had just gone down. Kori insisted that they do something fun to help "ease the tension in the group". But everyone knew she was making that up; despite how horrifying the events that transpired six days ago were, everyone was surprisingly at peace… although deep down, Raven appreciated the distraction. She was definitely happy, but it was hard to be so optimistic without… well…

"Rae? Hey, Rae!"

When Raven snapped back to the present, Jon had seemingly appeared next to her, a bag of popcorn in his hand.

"Wha… How did–" the mage girl had to stifle a laugh as Jon shoved a handful of the popped kernels into his mouth. "Good night, Jon, we just walked in the front gate! How did you get that so fast?"

" _Mmah mwulk rummuh phmm_."

"I'm sorry, what?"

Jon held up a finger as he gradually forced the load of popcorn down. "I walked really fast." He grinned, and Raven just shook her head and smiled. "Anyway, you wanna hit the Ferris wheel with me? I heard the fireworks show starts in a few minutes, and it's supposed to be pretty sweeeet!"

Raven shrugged. "Maybe… I mean, I dunno if I'm gonna get on the wheel…"

An ear-to-ear grin spread across Jon's face. "Oh, I see… Not sure you wanna ride it without the right guy, right?" He winked, and then walked on ahead to join up with Kori. Raven rolled her eyes; Jon was a sweet kid, but when he got an idea stuck in his head…

Raven felt a light nudge on her shoulder. She turned to see the source, and her eyes practically lit up.

"Y'know, I was actually thinking of going on the wheel myself if you wanted to come along," Damian said, a shaky half-smile on his face.

"Hey! When did you get back in?" Raven leaned over and bumped into Damian as they walked. His cheeks just barely showed a twinge of red as he leaned back into her.

"About five minutes ago," he replied, nodding towards the group ahead of them. Raven looked forward and saw amongst her friends an additional couple, a man and woman about Kori's age, walking alongside her.

"You remember Grayson? He brought me to the Tower for the first time? That's him and his girlfriend, Barbara. They're here to tell Starfire that they're engaged." As if on cue, Kori stopped for a second before letting out a squeal and jumping onto the pair, the three of them laughing as they toppled to the ground.

"Wow! Good for them!" Raven smiled as she saw how elated the three were. She paused for a moment, and then turned to Damian. "And yes. I'd love to ride the Ferris wheel with you."

"Great." Damian grinned. Now _THAT_ was a smile.

Within a few minutes, the two of them were high in the air, looking down from their gondola on the pier below. They even managed to spot all of their friends; Jon and Jaime were bent over the shooting range, Kori was walking about with Dick and Barbara, and Gar was up on the dance machine, locked in a fierce throwdown with a rather quick-footed blonde-haired girl. They almost thought they saw Gar trip up again, when suddenly their eyes were drawn skyward as the air burst into luminous wonder. The sounds of rockets cracking and crackling filled their ears, and magnificent flashes of all different colors filled their vision.

As the display went on, Damian slowly crept his pinky over Raven's, slipping into place around it. Raven blushed just enough to see, and after a moment her hand shifted, locking her fingers between his and squeezing gently for a moment. As the both of them kept their eyes and ears focused on the sky, part of their minds turned towards the warmth that formed in the cradle of their joined hands.

Fireworks certainly are something special, aren't they?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 _April 13th, 2017. 10:48 AM._

Damian wiped the sweat from his brow as he and Garfield walked out of the combat simulator. He had to admit, Gar's skills as a combatant were becoming somewhat impressive. It wasn't all about turning into a bear or a tiger and disemboweling his foes, as Damian had expected of the green boy; surprising enough, Gar's best performance was in the form of smaller primates, such as the lemur or the spider-monkey. In these forms, Gar could dart quickly in and out of the center of battle, and he used that speed to hit harder than one would expect from a creature so small. That's not to say that the boy didn't utilize the ability to become a gorilla or some other enormous creature. Those forms just weren't as impressive to Damian.

"Good work in there today, Logan," Damian grunted through a stretch. "That one move with the howler monkey really caught me off-guard. I'd love to see that trick in the field."

"Oh yeah? Thanks man," Garfield flashed a half-smile as he rubbed his eyes sleepily. It was evident to Damian that he wasn't sleeping right, but he wasn't exactly one to talk. Besides, Gar would eventually decide to open up and ask for help on his own. It would just take some time.

"Where did you even come up with that, anyway? That just seemed so far-fetched–"

The answer to Damian's inquiry popped up behind the two, throwing her arms around Garfield's neck. The two jumped slightly as they saw long blonde locks swish through the air, revealing electric blue eyes and a wide grin from behind the gold strands.

"It was my idea, actually," Tara said as the three stopped walking for a second, Garfield turning and pressing his cheek into hers. "I like monkeys, so Gar wanted to get good at being one."

"Jesus, Markov! Gonna hafta put a bell on you." Damian smirked as the joke left his mouth. Tara Markov was an anomaly that none of the Titans had expected: another metahuman teenager, right here in Jump City. Suddenly, another pair of hands wrapped around Damian's waist, and his smile shifted from smug to content as Raven's head came to rest on his shoulder.

"Wow, someone who can sneak up on you?" Raven's voice slid through the air in that special way it always did. "Maybe Tara should be the new Robin."

"Nah, tights just aren't my style," the blonde let go of Garfield, slipping her gloved hands into the pockets of her shorts. Damian didn't understand why she insisted on dressing like some kind of mountain climber, but oh well. Whatever works for her.

"That implies you have style at all, Markov," Damian raised an eyebrow at the girl. "That's a bit of a stretch, don't you think?"

"Mhmm, right. Keep talkin', turtleneck. Let me know when you buy a t-shirt." Tara winked as she walked ahead. "I'mma grab a drink. You guys want anything while I'm in the kitchen?"

"I'm good, T," Gar cracked his neck and grinned. "I'm gonna hit the shower. I'll be back in 20."

"Sounds good, think I'll do the same," Damian commented as Raven unraveled her arms from around him. He turned and took her hand for a moment, looking into her eyes. Things between the two of them were wonderful, if not… confusing. Neither of them had ever been in a relationship before, so neither knew how to come out and suggest that they make this… whatever it was official. But they were in a great place, and for the time being, it would do just fine. They enjoyed each other's company, and that was all they needed to know. They appreciated the simplicity. The two boys proceeded to the washroom as the girls headed on towards the elevator.

"So Garfield…" Damian addressed the other Titan as they each stepped into their respective showers and removed their clothes. "I couldn't help but notice you've seemed more… well, tired lately. Have you maybe not been getting adequate sleep?"

"Ah, it's nothing…" the changeling replied from his stall. As both of them turned on the water, they raised their voices so as to continue their conversation. "I'm getting a solid five hours each night, sometimes six. Plenty of sleep." Damian didn't object to the lower than ideal number; he and his father had trained their own bodies to attain in three hours the level of rest that normally comes from a full eight. But it was clear that even as far as the average person went, Garfield had not been getting nearly as much rest in his five to six hours.

"That may be true, but that doesn't mean you've been getting restful sleep," the Robin explained. He could hear the _scritch scritch scritch_ of Garfield scraping his nails across his scalp, reaffirming his concerns. Gar almost always scratched his head like that when he was tired. "Those six hours won't do you any good if they're not restful. Are you _sure_ you're doing okay?"

"It's just some bad dreams, man. I'm fine." Judging by his voice quickly adopting a notably stern tone, this was a subject that Garfield clearly didn't want to discuss right now. As the two continued to shower in silence, Damian couldn't help but worry that something was genuinely wrong with his friend. He had to do something. He really didn't like the thought of it, but he would do what needed to be done.

 _April 13th, 2017. 4:34 PM._

Damian crept down the hallway, careful not to alert anyone to his presence, and silently approached the door to Garfield's bedroom. Had it been a year earlier, he wouldn't object to this in the slightest. But his time with the Titans had planted some kind of sense of respect for others, and their privacy, in his mind. Damian stood hesitant for a brief moment, but eventually shook his head and opened the door, going inside.

What he found was… jarring, to say the least. Damian always assumed Garfield was less than tidy when it came to his quarters, but this was just… _destructive_. The whole room was covered in claw marks and fur, and all that remained of his bed sheets were tattered ribbons hanging loosely from his bed. Damian knew he was prone to transform in his room (which was completely fine, that's his business), but one thing caught his attention: Garfield had mentioned that he kept a framed picture of himself and Tara on his nightstand. He noted that after a particularly stressful day, he would stare at that picture until he was asleep. He said it helped him to calm down.

That picture was currently on the ground, the frame broken and in pieces at Damian's feet.

Garfield was hiding something, Damian thought. It's still unclear what exactly that is, but he's most definitely NOT "alright"…

As the young Robin processed all of this information, he heard footsteps approaching from behind him. Two sets, accompanied by voices stumbling towards the door. Damian scanned the room and, not finding a good enough hiding place, quickly slid into Garfield's closet, leaving the sliding door open just a crack just as the door to the hallway opened. In walked Garfield and Tara, falling over each other with laughter. They flopped onto the bed and kept on until their laughter trailed off. Damian felt his face turn red as he eased his breathing to become silent, still watching and waiting for the two to leave.

"Listen, T… thanks for today. I really needed it," Garfield smiled at the sweet girl beside him, who smiled back in kind. "I know I haven't been a hundred percent lately…"

"Hey, don't be so down on yourself about it," Tara said, sliding closer to the Changeling and placing her hand gently on his chest. "Whatever's up with you, it isn't your fault. If you don't wanna get into it, that's fine. But remember, we're all here to help. We care about you, Gar."

Logan gently held his head to hers, and the faintest shade of red showed through his cheeks. Tara looked into his emerald eyes, and gently pushed him into a laid back position, smiling down at him lovingly. He gazed up at her with a look of genuine affection he rarely showed anyone, and she slowly moved in closer, pressing her lips to his.

Damian looked away immediately, realizing what was about to go down. He made no movement within the closet for fear of making a noise and revealing himself, but he kept his head turned to the left, his eyes locked firmly onto the wall. Why now, of all times, did this have to happen? He desperately wanted to leave, but there really was nothing that could be done.

The two on the bed shifted around, and Tara slid on top of the Changeling, hugging his hips with her thighs. Her hands were cupped onto Garfield's face as she continued to kiss him, and his own hands slowly ran themselves around her waist, gently pulling her in tighter until she finally let her weight fall onto him, her exposed belly pressed against his own. Her legs began to wrap around his, and Garfield brought his hands up higher on her back…

All at once, Garfield's eyes shot open, every muscle in his body tensing at once.

"No…" he groaned, clearly in pain, as he pulled away from the girl. "No no no, not now… _not now_ …"

Tara sat up straight, still straddling her green teammate. "G… Gar? You alright? What's the matter?" He let out a decently audible grunt as a reply, pushing the girl off of him and rolling into the floor. Damian looked back to see Logan in the floor, holding his torso up on his forearms, shaking violently as strained groans rumbled from his mouth.

"Tara… g…" Garfield struggled to make out the words. "… **Get out**."

As if on cue, his right arm bulged to almost twice its normal size, muscles and veins pulsing under his green skin. The groans of pain gave way to a menacing growl, and Tara's eyes widened as she gripped the torn sheets, too shocked to move. Garfield's tank top began to rip as his body underneath grew and shifted, his face contorting and twisting as it stretched out. His hands extended into claws, fur covered his body, and Damian looked on in horror at the terrible creature that his friend was turning into. Out of Garfield's lower back slowly stretched a long tail, covered in long fur. His teeth grew and sharpened into a fearsome shape, and slowly, he rose to his feet, which had morphed to a canine, digitigrade shape.

Garfield threw his head back, and from deep in his chest bellowed a long howl which echoed throughout the whole tower.

 _You've got to be kidding,_ Damian thought. _He already turns into animals, now all of a sudden he's some kind of wolf-man._

Suddenly, Garfield's head whipped around, his eyes locking onto the trembling, mortified girl on his bed.

"G… g-Gar…. it's… it's me–"

Tara was cut off by a thundering roar that shook the whole room, and Beast Boy embedded his claws into the wall behind her, effectively cornering her. Tears began to form in Markov's eyes, and Damian decided that that was enough. The son of Batman threw the closet door wide open, bounded off the adjacent wall, and drove his foot into Garfield's side like a cannonball, knocking the beastly form across the room into the other wall, and bust a hole in it right next to the door upon impact.

" _Robin!?_ " Tara shouted in a panic. "What are you–"

"I'll explain later, come on!" Damian said as he scooped her up and darted out the door, tearing down the hallway. Just as they got to the elevator, it opened up to reveal Jon and Raven.

"Dude, is everything alright? We heard something from upstairs, what's going on?" Jon asked, a sense of urgency in his voice. Damian put the still-shocked Tara down in the elevator, slamming the panic button on his way out. The elevator door shut quickly behind him, sending the elevator and its sole occupant deep underground. Just then, Garfield burst through the door at the opposite end of the hall, snarling and scratching at the ground.

"That. That's going on." Damian's voice was firm and commanding as the dropped into stance. "Something is wrong with Garfield, and he's after Tara. We have to hold him here."

"Wait…" Raven whispered, looking intently at the form Garfield had taken. Her eyes sparked with a bright purple flash, and she grabbed Damian's arm. "Damian, hang on! I think I know what's wrong with him!"

Raven flew quickly over to Garfield, whose eyes zeroed in on her immediately. She placed her hands on either side of his head and began to recite an incantation she'd learned long ago. Her eyes closed, and the two began to glow with her amethyst light, some sort of energy flowing between them. Garfield's burning gaze weakened, and his limbs began to shake. When Raven opened her eyes, he dropped, still transformed, but unconscious. Raven's knees began to tremble, and Damian raced to Raven's side just in time to catch her as she fell. She was awake, but her breathing was heavy and her whole body was shaking. Damian gently placed a hand on her face, and looked worriedly into her eyes. She looked back up at him with an expression that gave only grim vibrations.

"He's in trouble."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 _April 13th, 2017. 4:49 PM._

"What do you mean Gar is _possessed?_ "

Tara's arms were wrapped around her knees as she hugged her legs to her chest, curled up against the wall in the emergency bunker underneath Titans Tower. Raven leaned up against the same wall a few feet away, her arms crossed with a grim look on her face. Jonathan knelt at Tara's side, a hand on her shoulder to comfort, while Damian stood by Raven, his arms crossed as well, with his brow furrowed in anger. He should have known to act sooner.

"Garfield's body is being inhabited by a lesser demon from one of Trigon's legions," Raven explained. "Trigon may be gone, but his servants still roam the universe…"

"' _Going to and fro like a lion, seeking whom they may devour_ '…" Jonathan added. Raven looked at him curiously, to which he shrugged. "Dad and me used to read outta the Bible together before bed when I was a kid. He said it's what Grampa Jon useta do with him."

"Well, you're actually not wrong. That's pretty much what they do," the mage girl replied. "Without the voice of Trigon to command them, his army is pretty much scattered. They do what needs to be done in order to survive, feeding on any and all life forms in their vicinity."

"So what exactly made Logan go all big-bad-wolf on us?" Tara asked.

"Every possession affects the host body differently. Some bodies will simply experience enhanced strength, some will gain powers where there were none… I guess since the capacity to transform was already present in Garfield's DNA, this possession manifested itself as some form of lycanthropy."

"That's so crazy to me," Jon said, shaking his head. "I mean, really? _Werewolves_ are an actual thing?"

"Jonathan, come on," Damian said, an eyebrow raised at his counterpart. "Your father is the last member of an advanced alien race, and Raven's father was the Devil. Of the four people in this room, three of us have superpowers. Wolf-men aren't that much of a stretch at this point."

"Well… when you put it like that…" Jonathan shrugged again as he helped Tara to her feet. As she stumbled, Damian noticed something peculiar on the back of her neck. He couldn't quite make out what it was, but he made a note to investigate further. Just then, a quick beep sounded from Damian's communicator. He checked the message quickly, giving a small nod as he read the words on the display.

"Starfire has contacted Nightwing, he should be here with backup soon. All we have to do is get back up there and restrain Gar before he has a chance to wake up and kill us all…" Damian trailed off for a second, then realized: someone wasn't there. Kori and Beast Boy were upstairs, and he had Raven, Jon, and Tara with him. But…

"Hold on a second… where is Reyes?"

Victor Stone walked into the diner, his hood up to keep his cybernetics concealed. He glanced around to each of the tables until his eyes locked on a teenage boy with a mohawk two booths down. He wore a hoodie like Vic, but with one small lump on the back; only the two of them knew what was hidden underneath. He was talking quietly into his cellphone in Spanish. Vic sat down across from him and waited for him to look up.

Jaime quickly took notice that his friend had arrived and said goodbye to his grandfather. He hung up just as the waitress came to take their order. "Uh, can I just get the hot chocolate in a to-go cup?" Jaime asked. The waitress smiled and wrote down the boy's order before turning to Victor.

"I'll take a coffee to go, black." Victor gave a half-smile to the middle-aged woman as she took his order. She walked away, and Vic turned to his young friend. "I got here as soon as I could. You mind telling me what's going on, Blue?"

"Yeah, man. Sorry about all this, I meant to come sooner, but stuff has been happenin' and all that…" Jaime looked back down at his phone for a moment, looking unnerved by the question he had on his kind. "It's… it's about Damian."

Victor let out a deep breath through his nose as the waitress returned with two paper cups, one marked "COCOA" and the other "COFFEE". He paid the woman, and the two walked out the door and headed down the street towards Vic's car.

"What exactly do you need to know about Damian?" Vic asked. "I mean, I'm not exactly the leading expert on Robins… but I know a little bit about–"

"Is he really Batman's kid?"

Vic stopped as soon as the question left Jaime's mouth. He let out a sigh. _Of course that was his question…_ He clicked the unlock button on his car key, and a quick beep sounded from a little farther down the street. He and Jaime kept walking in that direction.

"Look, I dunno much about how all that happened…" Vic started to explain. "… but yeah. Damian is Batman's son."

" _Ay Dios mio_ … that's crazy, man. I mean… I don't wanna up and ask Damian about it, but…" Jaime looked down at the ground as the reached Vic's car.

The Cyborg put a hand on Jaime's back. "I get it. You have a lotta questions. Tell ya what…" Vic opened the door for Jaime and walked around to the driver's side door. "Let me take you to the big guy. He might have some time to answer your questions."

The air cracked behind the Bat-Rocket as it tore across the open sky. In the cockpit, Dick Grayson kept a laser-focused eye on the horizon whilst Barbara Gordon made contact with Superman to bring extra muscle… just in case things went south.

"I hope those kids are alright…" Barbara said with a worried sigh. "Did Kori say anything else to you about what's going on?"

"No, she didn't," Dick replied, "but it'll be alright. Damian is with them. If anybody can handle Gar, it's my little brother."

"Speaking of Damian…" Barbara looked over her shoulder at Dick. "… I couldn't help noticing on our way to drop him off that he had a lot to say about that girl. Rachel, right?"

"I think it's Raven, actually," Dick said, "and I noticed that too. I'm proud of him for finding a new friend! He struggles with friend-making… unless it's with animals."

"Y'know, call me crazy," Batgirl went on, "but I think it might be something more than that."

Dick threw his eyebrows up in surprise at this statement. Slowly, his eyes still locked in front of him, a smile spread across his face. "Why, Barbara Gordon! Are you implying that my little brother has a _girlfriend_ _?_ "

Barbara smirked. "Oh, I dunno about that! But I do think he may just be experiencing a bit of an infatuation with this girl."

Nightwing smiled as he put his mask on, the Tower appearing in the distance. He and Batgirl readied their parachutes, and Dick took hold of the ejection lever. "Alright, be ready on three…"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 _April 13th, 2017. 4:57 PM._

As the elevator door opened, the five teenagers inside were surprised to find the hallway where they'd left their unconscious friend to be completely empty. Frustrated, Damian tightened his grip on the hilt of his sheathed katana. Raven placed a gentle hand on his back, feeling the anger in him rise.

"What were we thinking… of COURSE he was going to wake up. We just left him here in the middle of the hall like it was no big deal. Now where could he be?" Damian slammed his fist into the wall, the thud echoing through the empty corridor. "I should have known better… I should have already restrained him!"

"Damian, you've got to calm yourself," Raven's hushed voice slid into Damian's ear as she whispered, being cautious not to alert Garfield to their presence. "Getting angry right now is only going to make things worse. Clear your mind…"

"… Find your peace. I know…" Damian shut his eyes for a moment, taking in several cleansing breaths. "I'm trying to do better."

"I know you are," Raven's hand lighted onto Damian's chest, and his heart rate immediately slowed. "Give it time, you're already improving. But for now, we need to focus on finding Beast Boy. Tara, any luck contacting Jaime?"

"Nah, nothing yet," Terra replied, still fiddling with her communicator. "Y'know, this would probably be easier if we just all gave each other our phone numbers."

"Well, not all of us have phones," Jonathan said quietly as he floated past Tara. "I still have to borrow Ms. Kori's tablet every time I wanna call my dad."

"Focus, Titans," Damian growled. "The sooner we find Gar, the better. Let's split up and start searching the Tower. Raven, you and Tara start at the foyer and work your way up. Superboy and I will go to the top and try to find Starfire. Be careful."

"Stay safe, you two," Raven replied, squeezing Damian's hand. Their eyes locked for a moment before Raven and Tara took to the second elevator.

"You said your brother was on his way, right?" Jonathan asked as the elevator door closed before him and Damian. "Do you think that'll be enough? I mean… don't get me wrong, your brother is tough and all, but…"

"I know what you mean. And no, Grayson is definitely not enough," Damian answered grimly. "If he were coming alone, he'd probably get himself killed. That's why I had him bring his fiancée, and why I had him contact your father."

"Wait, what?" Jonathan's eyes widened at this information. "You had him call my _dad!?_ Geez, Dame, do you really think this is that big of a deal?"

"The first time I fought one of these demons, the host body had no powers," Damian began to explain, turning to face his teammate. "By the end of it, I had to blow up the Batwing on them to take them out. These things are dangerous… and now one has control of a metahuman capable of taking on the form of any animal he's ever encountered. Who knows what he'll be capable of?"

"Yeesh… I guess I hadn't thoughta that…" Jonathan rubbed his neck nervously. "… Man, I hope Gar is gonna be alright…"

The elevator doors opened to the roof, where a figure stood in the doorway. Damian, not one to take chances, leapt into action immediately, cracking his foot into the face of the shadow before them.

Damian landed just in time to see Dick Grayson crumple to the floor.

" _Agh!_ Christ, Damian…!" Dick shouted, rubbing his jaw. "It's just us!" Barbara rushed to Dick's side, and she and Damian helped him to his feet.

"Sorry, Richard," Robin apologized quickly, as Dick stumbled finding his footing. "We're all pretty on-edge right now, as you can imagine…" As the boy explained himself, a mighty wind blew across the rooftop, and a blur of red and blue swooped overhead, revealing a familiar red-and-blue clad man floating above the four heroes.

" _DAD!_ " Jon shouted as he rocketed up to meet his father in the sky. Superman quickly wrapped his arms around the boy, holding him tight. "Dad, it's gotten crazy here! Beast Boy turned into a werewolf, and there are demons, and we had to split up, and–"

"Jon! Jon, it's alright now, take a deep breath! I'm right here, pal," Clark spoke in a calm, reassuring tone as he stroked his son's hair. "Everything's gonna be okay, buddy. But we need you to be ready to fight. I know Garfield is your friend, but you have to be ready to give it all you got. Can ya do that?"

Jon shook his head, and looked into his father's eyes, his brow furrowed. "Yes, sir."

"So what's up with you and Robin?"

Raven stopped dead in her tracks, turning to look at Tara with a very confused look.

"Tara… is now _really_ the time to be asking this?"

"Well come on," Markov continued, "you two are always hanging around each other, you're always the first to make sure he's okay, HE's always the first to make sure YOU're okay, and you read together. You READ together. Nobody does that!"

"Damian and I have similar past experiences, so we just sort of… wait. What do you mean, 'nobody does that'?"

"I mean, _nobody_ does that. How do you do the… the _pacing?"_

Raven shook her head. "We literally read it together. It's a mental thing. We read different characters, and we take turns with the narrative… I've done it with everyone on the team."

Tara crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Well, clearly not EVERYONE."

Raven let out a quiet giggle. "Well, once all this is over, you and I should sit down together and–"

That moment, there came a loud crash from within the walls, and all the lights went out. The power to the whole Tower had been cut. Tara instinctively clutched tightly to Raven's cloak in the pitch black of the corridor.

"… and we can read something together. What do you like to read?"

"Uhh…" Tara thought hard for a moment. "… I like Lewis. Like, Narnia? That guy? He's good."

"Oh, yeah! He's a wonderful writer!" Raven replied excitedly. "Have you ever read _The Screwtape Letters_?"

"No, but I do have a copy," Tara replied. "I've been meaning to check it out. But like, who even taught you to read like that?"

As if on cue, a bright flash of green broke through the black that surrounded the girls. When they turned to look to the source, they both smiled.

"Actually, I did that," Starfire said calmly. "On Tamaran, it is customary to share your favorite tales with your children or younger comrades as such."

"Kori!" Raven let out a sigh of relief as she walked over to her teacher's side. "Thank Azar you're here! I'm not sure we can handle this on our own…"

"Don't worry, little sister," Kori put her free hand on Raven's shoulder and smiled. "We're going to make sure Garfield is okay. Damian's brother Dick is here, and even Jon's father Superman came along. We're gonna take care of everything."

As Jaime walked through the Hall of Justice, he kept his eyes to the floor. Never had he been this nervous in his life; sure, it was scary facing down all those creeps that came after Raven, but this was the Justice League. THE Justice League. They're like the superhero Hall of Fame; that's pretty intimidating for a kid.

Victor kept his hand on Jaime's shoulder, and guided him through the building, until they came to an elevator in the very back, which took them deep down into what appeared to be some kind of sub-level laboratory. As the two stepped out of the elevator, Jaime froze. There, standing before the enormous computer display, was the Batman.

"Hey, Bats," Vic called, "I got somebody here who wants to talk to you. He's got… questions."

The constant clicking of keys on the keyboard stopped, and the imposing figure turned to face the two. He looked first to Victor, then down to Jaime. He let out a low _hmph_ in acknowledgment, then turned and pressed a few more keys, and the display went dim.

Victor placed a few pats on Jaime's shoulder. "Just relax. As long as you don't piss him off, you got nothin' to worry about." Jaime nodded as Vic left the room.

"So…" Batman said, his voice a low growl in his chest. "Jaime Reyes. That's your name right?"

"Uh, y-yes," Jaime stuttered, standing up straighter. This was actually happening right now. He was talking to Batman. _Batman._

The caped figure crossed his arms and leaned up against the computer console. "I've heard a lot about you from Damian… he says you're a valuable teammate. Which is impressive, considering he's never even said that about me."

Jaime couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. "R… really? He said that? Uh, th-umm, thank you."

The two stood in silence for a moment. Then, the Batman reached up, and slowly pulled the cowl off of his head. Jaime stood blinking at his face for a few seconds. _Wow… Damian looks just like him._

"So… he's really your kid, huh? That's…"

The man smiled. "It's big. I know," he said, walking forward and placing a hand on Jaime's shoulder. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

"Yeah, I do. I mean…" Jaime rubbed his eyes and shook his head. He had so many questions, where on earth was he supposed to begin. So, after searching his whole brain, he came up with "… who was his mom?"

Bruce cocked a brow as he let out a small chuckle. "Well! Straight to the point, aren't you?" Jaime rubbed his neck nervously, turning a bright shade of red. Bruce crossed his arms and sighed. "It… it happened about fourteen years ago. Her name was Talia…"

Damian's flashlight illuminated the livingroom of Titans Tower just enough for the five in his group to navigate around the furniture without bumping into anything. He was certain that the power outage was Garfield's doing (or rather, whatever the demon was inhabiting Garfield's body), attempting to gain the upper hand and kill them all. It wouldn't be expecting all five of them, but then… the one who took control of Mark Mardon a year ago was able to stand up to Superman… but then again, this wasn't the same Superman. This Superman seemed older… more experienced. Perhaps he would be strong enough to handle Mardon, but Garfield is probably far stronger.

 _Then again,_ Damian thought, _even_ I _was able to land a solid hit on Logan. Perhaps he's not quite as strong as I've been assuming…?_

As this thought went through his mind, a flash of green caught the corner of his eye. On instinct, he reached for his sword and launched himself towards it… but before he had a chance to strike, he found himself enveloped in a familiar dark energy, suspended in the air.

"It's alright, Damian," Raven whispered, her hands raised to focus her magic around the boy. "It's just us."

Damian released his grip on his hilt as Raven lowered him to the ground. "I'm glad you're okay. Have you three found anything yet?"

"You mean aside from claw marks up and down the halls?" Tara chimed in from beside Kori. "No. Guess he's a little ahead of us."

"Hold on. That doesn't make any sense…" Dick scratched his head as he spoke, trying to make sense of their situation. "We started from the top and checked every single room. You guys did the same from the bottom, so…"

Everyone froze as the realization dawned on them. Slowly, Damian turned his eyes upward and shone his flashlight at the ceiling to spot an enormous mass of green flesh and fur.

Right now, Beast Boy was a brutal, mindless beast, controlled by an actual demon from actual Hell, capable of rending them all limb from limb. And at this very moment, he had the high ground.

"Titans…" Damian said through grit teeth, his focus locking onto the Changeling, "… **Ready**."

Garfield roared out like thunder as he dropped to the ground, crushing the living room table beneath his weight. Starfire made the first move against him, her body whirling like a top as landed several consecutive blows to Beast Boy's face. But after a moment, Gar managed to brace in anticipation of her move, and brought her to a halt with her leg pressed against his face. With a growl followed by one swift motion, he batted Kori across the room, and immediately launched himself towards Tara.

Markov had regained her composure, however, and quickly pulled a sizable rock through the nearby window, clocking the wolf-beast in the side of his head with it as they were all showered in broken glass. Garfield stumbled back as Tara swung her stone into his head again and again, her arms swinging wildly as she struggled to attack faster. As she brought her fists down, intent on rendering the Changeling unconscious, Garfield took hold of the stone, crushing it in his hand. Tara stumbled back, tripping over what remained of the table, and Garfield pulled his lips back over his teeth in a sneer.

Just as he raised his claw to strike, Jonathan made his move, delivering a punch into Garfield's chest with such force that the air seemed to crack at the point of impact. Gar flew upwards, smashing into the ceiling before dropping back to the ground, dazed and clutching at his chest. Jonathan's eyes began to glow red.

"C'mon, BB," Jon pleaded, "it's us! _Fight_ it, man, you've got to–"

Before Jon could finish, Gar delivered a swift crack with his head to Jonathan's nose. The young Superboy stumbled back, hands on his face before the wolf-man flipped around, smacking him away with his tail.

"Y'know, I think Fido's had enough fun for one day," Dick quipped as he, Barbara and Damian pulled out their ropes. "Let's kennel this puppy."

The three leapt into the air in an almost synchronized fashion, their lines soaring behind them like some bizarre ribbon show. They whirled all about Garfield, wrapping him up tightly before landing in front of him and pulling with all of their might, bringing the creature down to its knees and unable to move. Raven quickly moved into position, casting her magic on the monster and glowing with a brilliant purple aura.

"By the will of Azar, I command you," the mage girl called out with authority, "leave quietly this flesh you have taken, servant of the Fallen Serpent! You are ban–"

Before Raven could complete her incantation, somehow the possessed Changeling found the strength to tear through the sturdy Bat-ropes, and with one swipe sent the girl crashing through the wall.

" _ **RAVEN!**_ " Robin's panicked voice tore through the room as he bolted in the direction which his friend had been sent flying, leaving his friends to continue combating the creature. There, on the other side of a large hole in the wall, Raven lay unconscious, covered in pieces of broken wall and piping, blood running down a sizable gash in her forehead.

As Damian cradled his best friend in his arms, he felt his eyes begin to sting. This was on him; he should have known not to leave Garfield unattended in the hall before. He should have investigated his condition sooner. If he had just done what needed to be done… if he had just protected her like he should have…

Damian gently set Raven down on the floor, and grasped his katana. He knew the source of the tears on his cheeks was not just guilt. This was the rage he'd been suppressing since his little clash with Reyes. For the past fourteen years, he'd been taught to control his emotions. The only emotion he was ever permitted to express in any sense was his anger. But upon joining the Titans, he found himself pushing his anger down just like all the rest of his emotions. And he was _sick_ of holding it back.

In an instant, Damian rocketed towards the beast, making one broad stroke before crashing right into Garfield's chest in a shoulder-tackle.

The green wolf-beast went one direction. But his right arm, from the elbow down, went another.

Between them was a spray of red liquid that covered Damian's face. As he pulled himself off the floor, hearing Beast Boy screeching in agony as a bright red light shot out of Superman's eyes into the fresh stump, a single thought echoed in his mind:

 _What have I done…?_

 _April 17th, 2017. 1:34 PM._

"Damian…?"

Damian's eyes slowly crept open as the familiar voice slid into his ears. He lifted his head up off of his crossed arms to see that Raven was finally coming to. Her eyes were weary and her hair was unkempt, but Damian didn't care. He just silently thanked any god that was listening that she was still alive. He stood up quickly, and rushed to her side.

"It's alright, Raven," he began to reassure her as he took hold of her hand. "You've been out for four days. But everything has been taken care of."

Raven smiled at her closest friend for a moment, taking the time to find comfort in his presence. But quickly she felt a new pain in the back of his mind.

"Damian…" Raven whispered, "… what's wrong?"

Robin's heart dropped. He was afraid of what was about to happen, but… he swore he would never lie to her.

"Garfield… was injured in the fight," he stammered, trying to find the strength to own up to what he'd done. "… I… I cut his arm off."

Raven's eyes widened for a moment. This was… this was serious. She almost let out an exasperated "you did _what?_ ", but she could feel the tear in Damian's heart grow as he told her what happened.

"It's my fault…" Damian's eyes stayed glued to the hand he held, as tears began to well up behind them. "I just… I lost control. I saw how bad you'd been hurt, and I…" with this, Damian had to squeeze his shut. "Oh god, I thought you were gone. I thought… I thought he…"

Raven placed her other hand onto the boy's face. "Damian… I know. It's going to get better." She pulled the boy into her arms, and ran her fingers through his hair. "The pain won't go away… but I promise you, it will get better."

Damian tried to hold himself together. Fourteen years, he'd been taught to control his emotions. The only emotion he was ever permitted to express in any sense was his anger. Even when his father and butler insisted that he open up, he kept his heart shut tight. Even when his mother turned her back to him, he stayed strong. But now, after everything, he broke down. He just fell all to pieces in Raven's arms; his walls of strength and resilience gave way, and he cried weakly, like the broken child he'd denied all these years. For the first time in his short life, Damian knew how it felt to truly need someone. He needed these Titans. He needed his father. But above all else, in this moment, he needed Raven. He needed her like the earth needed the rain. And as they sat there in the infirmary of Titans Tower, they silently made a promise to one another: no matter what the cost, they would do everything in their power to be there for the other. Because Raven knew, after everything that had happened, that she needed Damian just the same. She wept there with him, holding the boy as tight as her weary arms possibly could. Damian saved her from her past; now she needed to do the same for him.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 _July 4th, 2017. 10:35 PM._

Although he was quite open about how little he valued holidays due to his upbringing, Damian had to admit that he had something resembling respect for Independence Day. Not the celebration of it, mind you, no. All the ruckus of proclaiming how great America was, and the sheer quantity of things they can cover in red, white, and blue, and that unholy cacophony called "country music" blaring from every radio station was far too obnoxious for his tastes. But Damian had a deeply rooted respect for anyone who displayed real patriotism; from the men who came together some 241 years ago and risked everything to establish a brand new nation, to the men and women who took up arms today to serve overseas for the sake of their homeland. Damian knew what it meant to devote your life to something greater than yourself; being a member of the League of Assassins meant that, if it came down, you would give your life for the League's ideals… which Damian felt were wholly different from the ideals of his grandfather. Damian didn't necessarily share all of Ra's Al Ghul's beliefs– which in part made him glad to be done with the Assassins altogether– but he did truly believe that the symbol of the League of Assassin's stood for something more: it stood for the hope for a better world. In like manner, Damian believed that a soldier in America's military could fight for the values that the American flag embodied, rather than for the agenda of whatever political figurehead they put in charge of America's government. Not everyone agreed with the policies of the last president, and not everyone agrees with the policies of this one. When it comes down to it, loving your country means loving the things your country stands for, not loving the people who run it.

Damian's train of thought was interrupted by a hand grasping his shoulder. He looked up to see the face of his father looking down at him.

"Hello Father," Damian said quietly, placing a hand on top of his. "I heard you were planning on paying a visit sometime soon. How are things in Gotham?"

"Gotham is Gotham, Damian," Bruce said in a low voice. "It always will be… Alfred says hello, by the way."

Damian smirked. "Alfred the butler, or Alfred my cat?"

"Both," Bruce replied with a wink. They laughed for a moment, and Bruce gestured for Damian to sit. The both of them sat down on the couch, and Bruce let out a sigh. "Damian, I wanna talk to you about Garfield."

Almost immediately, Damian's expression darkened. "There's… not much left to say," he replied. "I let my emotions get the better of me, and my friend got hurt because of it. That's on my head."

"You're right. It absolutely is." Bruce reached out, putting a hand gently on his son's arm. "But you can't let that guilt eat at you."

"I clearly need to change, Father," Damian protested calmly. "If something is threatening my friends, it's my responsibility to stop the threat before it affects someone I care about. I won't lose again. You never fail, so what excuse do I have to let myself fail?"

Bruce stopped for a moment, looking into his son's eyes, the same tired blue eyes he saw in the mirror every day. Damian didn't just want to be a good Robin, he wanted to be a good Batman… he wanted to be his father.

"You think I never lose?" Bruce said, almost whispering. "Son. I lose _plenty_."

Damian paused, a look of confusion on his face. "… what do you mean?"

"You've read every report on every case I've had. Think about it… I let Red Hood fall off that railing all those years ago, and he became the Joker. I didn't act soon enough to rehabilitate Harvey Dent, and now he's all but lost to Two-Face. I didn't make sure Dr. Quinzel received psychiatric help soon enough, and she wasted away with the clown for years…" Bruce paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "I let Jason die… I let Stephanie die… Damian, I let YOU die."

"Father that isn't–"

"Yes, Damian, it _is_. You think I've never failed because the bad guys always end up locked away at the end of the mission. But the truth is, I've been dealing with the repercussions of my failures every day since the day I first put on the mask when I was twenty-six. I've been dealing with not being able to protect the people I love since I was eight years old. And I've let it consume me in the past… after Jason died, I became a danger to everyone around me. It wasn't until Tim showed up that I realized how out of hand I'd gotten. And when… when you died… you can ask anyone in the League. I _lost_ it."

Damian looked on as his father spoke. All this time, he'd never considered… but it was true.

"I'm not saying that failure is okay. We strive to do the best we can." Bruce looked into his son's eyes again. "What I'm saying is that no matter how hard you try, sometimes you're going to lose. What's important is to not allow your losses to consume you."

They sat in silence, looking to one another for a good four seconds. Slowly, Damian slid closer, and laid his head on his father's chest. Bruce wrapped his arms around him and held him tight. They didn't say another word, but volumes could be written in the air between them as they gathered strength from one another.

 _July 4th, 2017. 8:24 PM._

The vast expanse of sky overhead was a bluish-purple hue, dimly lit as the sun had just dropped past the horizon. Damian and Raven sat amongst their teammates and loved ones there on the gently sloped lawn of Titans Island in the middle of the river, surrounded by the smell of fresh-cut grass, the sound of their friends' voices filling the summer air as fireflies danced around the lot of them. Raven's head was resting on Damian's shoulder, and he leaned into it, pressing his cheek softly into her hair.

Recovering physically from the ordeal they'd gone through with Garfield had been tough, but thanks to Raven's dedication to increasing her skills as a healer, the process had been significantly accelerated… with the exception of Garfield, whose arm was sadly unable to be reattached. The psychological impact, however, was significantly more difficult to come back from; the sight of Robin cleaving Beast Boy's arm off, regardless of the situation, had shaken everyone there. Even Jaime, who hadn't been there when it happened, was visibly stunned to see Garfield with a stump in place of a hand. But none were more affected than Gar and Damian. For a full week after the incident, the two couldn't even look each other in the eyes – Damian out of guilt, and Garfield out of something he thought felt like betrayal. But with time, and after finally sitting down and speaking with one another about what happened, Damian and Garfield had begun to rebuild their relationship… albeit slowly. Garfield was presently laying back with his head in Tara's lap, looking up at her as the two carried on in conversation.

"Damian," Raven whispered, "I can feel you. Talk to me."

Damian said nothing, but he slowly took hold of Raven's hand and squeezed it tight. In his heart, he spoke volumes of what he was feeling; he thought he had himself under control. He thought he'd learned to control his anger, but now he didn't know what to think at all. It felt as if he'd had the blinders ripped from his eyes, and all at once he'd been exposed to everything he had been oblivious to for so long. He just…

Raven picked up her head and looked at him, placing her other hand on his chest. "I know you're scared. You've been taught to accept nothing but excellence of yourself. Something this big, it's bound to set you back."

 _Right,_ Damian thought. _Empath._

"But that's why we're here," she continued, smiling. "When one of us falls, the rest of us pick them back up. You're not alone anymore. You have us… you have me."

The two of them stared into one another's eyes for a moment in silence. In his heart, Damian spoke one more thing. _Raven, if you're listening now… I just hope you feel it. I can't say it yet. But I hope you can feel it._

A slight twinge of red in Raven's cheeks told Damian that yes, in fact, she felt it.

As the two of them laid back, arms around each other, they watched as the night sky lit up with the brilliant lights and colors of the fireworks display. No matter what came next, they had each other to lean on. They were going to be okay.

 _July 4th, 2017. 11:13 PM._

Damian sat typing away at his computer, chronicling the events of the past week. Thankfully, the past seven days had been rather quiet in Jump City, so Damian was a able to finish up much earlier than usual. Just as he was standing up from his desk to get some much-needed shut-eye, there came a knock upon his bedroom door. Shaking off the tiredness from his eyes, Damian shuffled over to the door as it opened, and there stood Tara Markov on the other side.

"Hey…" Tara waved awkwardly. "Can I come in for a minute?"

Damian smiled and gave a little nod, rubbing his eyes as the girl walked into his room. The door shut behind them, and Damian sat back down in his desk chair, gesturing for Tara to seat herself on his bed, which she did.

"I just, uhh…" Tara scratched her head as she looked for the words. "I never actually said thank you for, y'know… saving me when Gar tried to kill me back in April. If you hadn't been there when you were, then I probably wouldn't be here right now."

"You don't have to thank me," Damian assured her. "Especially considering what happened next."

"Hey," Tara interjected, "don't go blaming yourself for what happened to Gar. You did what you had to do to keep us safe. It's not your fault."

"It IS my fault, though," Damian sighed. "But I won't let it get the better of me. I'm working on dealing with my mistakes. I promise you, I'm gonna keep doing my best to keep you all safe."

Tara smiled as she got up from where she sat. "Thanks, Dame. I'll see you tomorrow." Tara turned to walk out the door, but Damian held up a hand.

"Hold on a second, Terra…" Robin stood up from his chair. "There's something I need to see."

Tara seemed to freeze up as Damian approached her. He came up behind her and pulled her hair out off of her neck… and he froze. There, at the base of her neck, sat a small device. If he hadn't been looking for it, he probably never would have seen it. But there it was… barely distinguishable, but Damian instantly recognized the symbol: a circle, half-orange and half-black, with a slit of white on one side. Damian grit his teeth as he stared down at the symbol of the man who murdered his grandfather…

"… _Deathstroke_ …"

Damian put a firm hand on Tara's shoulder. He loved Tara, but Deathstroke was one of the most dangerous men on Earth. He needed answers, and he needed them now.

Tara turned slowly to meet Damian's gaze. What caught Damian off-guard was the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She threw her arms around his neck and sobbed for a moment.

"Tara, what's going on…?" Damian put his arms around her waist, unsure of how to respond.

"… Please… Damian, please help…"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 _July 5th, 2017. 6:24 AM._

"We have a serious problem."

Damian stood, hands folded behind his back, before his drowsy teammates on the couch in the livingroom. He hated calling a meeting so late at night, but this was something that needed to be addressed right away.

"Dude…" Jon moaned, rubbing his eyes. "Whatever it is, can't it wait until later? I'm tired…"

"No. It can't…" Damian's eyes shifted over to Raven. Her brow was furrowed in concern; he'd already explained the situation to her. This meeting, in fact, was her idea. Damian was planning on taking care of the problem alone, but he couldn't not consult Raven. She managed to convince him to bring the matter to the group.

"Wait," Garfield groaned, nursing his coffee, "where's Terra…? We can't have a team meeting without–"

"Tara is waiting on the roof. She can't be here this," Damian replied flatly. "This is about her."

Kori walked in and stood behind the couch, crossing her arms as she began to see the urgency in Damian's eyes. "You've learned something about her, haven't you? Something that scares you."

Damian nodded, his gaze stone cold. "The night Tara met Garfield was no coincidence. Her meeting us, coming here, joining the Titans… it was all completely orchestrated."

Garfield cocked an eyebrow. "D, what… what are you saying?"

Damian sighed. "Tara has been acting as a mole. A spy, monitoring our every move, and reporting them to Slade Wilson. Or as you probably know him…"

"Deathstroke…" Starfire's voice was hushed, a sliver of fear showing in her eyes. "This is… how did you…"

"Tara's explained everything to me…" Damian continued. "Wilson captured her long before we found her. Among many other… _unspeakable_ things he did to her, he's outfitted her body with a full set of experimental cybernetic enhancements. Included in this system is a neural implant that acts as both a control override and an overclocking mechanism."

"That…" Jon, now wide awake, scratched his head in confusion. "That sounds bad. What does that mean?"

"It means that, if Terra disobeys any of Deathstroke's orders…" Raven's voice was somber as she explained. "… he'll take control of her body and put it into overdrive. She'll become unbelievably powerful, and he'll likely make her kill us all. But the strain of that much power output would be catastrophic for her upgrades. They would overheat, and destroy her body from the inside."

"So how do we stop it?" Jaime asked, his frustration showing through his tone. "I mean, it might be dangerous, but can't we go in and take the brain bug out ourselves?"

"I thought of that, but no," Damian replied. "Any attempts to remove the implant ourselves would trigger the system to self-destruct. The only way we can save Tara is to bring her directly to Wilson's base, and use his master control to deactivate the implant. Only once it's completely shut down can we remove the implant from her brain.

"Unfortunately, the rest of her cybernetics are spread through her entire body. They're far too extensive to remove, and were likely implemented gradually over the course of several months, maybe even years. Her body has repaired itself around them, adapted to them, and now needs them to function. Any attempts to take them out would kill her."

"The only thing we can do is uninstall the neural implant," Raven continued the thought. "She may never be completely flesh and blood again, but at least her body will be hers and hers alone."

Gar sat unmoving on the couch, his eyes wide in shock. All of this information, all of these secrets. He had no idea about any of it. All this time, he thought…

"Garfield, look at me." Damian stepped forward and put his hands on Beast Boy's shoulders. "I know this a lot to take in, especially for you. But we need you to pull yourself together. We're going to get through this, but we can only do it if all of us work toge–"

Before Damian could finish, Gar jerked out of his seat and bolted for the elevator. Jon stood up to go after him, but Damian put a hand to the Kryptonian's chest and shook his head, and the elevator ascended, taking Garfield up to the roof.

"He'll be there when we need him. For now, we need to come up with a plan to get to Deathstroke's base and shut down that implant." Damian crossed his arms and frowned. "It won't be something we can just throw together and pull off today. Deathstroke is far too good for that. We need to think this all the way through, plan for every possible contingency… we need to be ready to adapt if things go wrong."

"In order to gain access to Slade's main controls, we'll likely need to get to his central console," Kori began brainstorming. "And in all likelihood, we won't be able to do that if he's still there when we try."

"So we'll need to draw him out into the open, way far away, before we get into his hideout," Jaime expanded on Kori's thought. "How do we do that?"

"We can't call the Justice League for help, Damian's dad'll wanna lock Tara up in the Watchtower…" Jon stroked his chin as he pondered on the situation. "As cool as I think they are, we can't let them know what's going on."

"We may have to split into two groups. One group will keep Deathstroke occupied, while the other group breaks into his headquarters," Raven suggested. "But how will we keep him from realizing something's going on? He's bound to notice if we aren't all there…"

"I actually have an idea about that. We can't let my father know about this, which means we can't tell the League, and we also can't tell any of the others in Gotham, which includes all of the other Robins…" a half-smile slowly formed on Damian's face. "… _Except_ for one. And fortunately, this one is particularly gifted when it comes to attracting attention."

For being as young as she was, Tara Markov had lived so much more than most people do their whole lives. She'd crossed entire oceans using a single chunk of stone. She'd slept beneath the shade of the grandest trees of the rainforest, and run with gazelles across the African plains. She'd danced in the streets under the bright lights of Las Vegas, and found tranquility in the sacred mountains of Tibet. She'd tasted delicacies from across the globe, but she found she better savored the taste of fruit that grew in the farthest reaches of the earth, untouched by man.

Through everything she'd done in all her days, she held fast to two truths: she was hers and hers alone, and every decision she made was to bring good to all life she touched. As long as she knew that these two truths remained intact, Tara was able to find peace wherever she roamed. But now…

From where she sat on the edge of the rooftop, Tara looked down at the bare skin of her stomach, which curved just enough to adhere to her toned abdominal muscles underneath. She pulled her shirt higher up, looking at the faintest shape of her ribs low on either side of her chest. As she gently pressed a finger into them, she could feel the presence of hard titanium intermingled with solid bone. She moved her hand down to her leg, and feeling the muscles in her thigh revealed wires wrapped around the firm flesh. Slowly, she brought her other hand over to the first, and ran her thumb across her knuckles, feeling the hard metal plating under her skin. Even just moving her arms, Tara could feel the mechanisms in her joints, all designed to make her a weapon, gliding in accordance with her will. She knew, of course, the day might very well come that they would not. Thus, the first of her truths had shattered.

Tara's mind turned to the events of the past 104 days. Every fiber of her being screamed out against the deed she was ordered to carry out by the man… no. This was no man, at least not now. This was a monster that Tara thought once may have been something resembling a man. After the things he'd done… the way he'd _defiled_ her body… and not just tearing her apart and putting her back together with this disgusting mechanical abomination inside of her, but… the things he'd done to her before… Tara was certain that whatever man once lived in that vile creature died long ago. But no matter how much she wanted to refuse, no matter how badly she wanted to spit right in his one good eye and tell him to piss off, it was no use. If she didn't do it herself, he'd just seize control of her body and make her do it anyway. So for 103 days she lied to the closest friends she'd ever known. Even to the first person she ever really, truly loved. She kept tabs on everything they'd done, everything they were, and fed their lives directly to that one-eyed freak. She took their trust, their love, their kindness, and she crushed it all to bits. Cast it into the wind. And so the second of her truths had been torn asunder.

Tara Markov had lived a life of joy and good will for fourteen years. But two years ago, everything had come crashing down. And now, Tara Markov had done terrible things.

A single tear rolled down her face. She'd played along for as long as her broken heart could bear it, but somehow she let her guard down. Somehow, one of her targets… no, one of her friends had discovered her secret. She loved Damian dearly, she did. He was like a little brother to her. But when he found the tracer on her neck… her first instinct was not to come clean and ask for his help. Her first thought was that may have to… oh god, she was about to _kill him_. She had immediately planned to whip around, grab the boy's neck, and crush it right there. If he didn't asphyxiate with his larynx crumpled, the shattering of his spine would paralyze him from the neck down, stopping his heart. It didn't matter that he was basically a kid Batman, killing him would be _easy_. But instead, her heart cried out, and she broke down. Threw her around him and wept for all the evil she'd been apart of. For all the deception she'd performed at her friends' expense, for the flesh-and-blood life she'd never get back, for the sick memory of the one-eyed creature's hands all over her… the thick wine of her pain burst the fragile wineskin that had been her facade, and she couldn't keep her anguish down any longer.

And now? Now she had no idea what they'd do. For all she knew, the one-eyed freak already knew what she had done, and today would be the day she would be forced to commit her last, most paramount evil before the metal monstrosity inside her burned her away to nothing. Or perhaps her only friends in the world would simply cast her out before she had the chance to destroy them. Or maybe they would just kill her now before she could do any further harm… part of her deep down hoped that they would.

Her train of thought interrupted by the feeling of arms wrapping themselves around her, and the familiar scratch of stubble against her cheek as a kiss was pressed gently into her neck.

"Tara… I get why you didn't tell me," Garfield said, his voice a half-whisper into her ear. "We're gonna figure this out. We're gonna beat him. I promise, I won't let him hurt you anymore."

Tara sat motionless, completely blown away. After everything she'd done, after how she'd betrayed all of them… more tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She whipped around, throwing herself onto the Changeling and wrapping her arms around his neck. As the two Titans embraced, and weak sobs came up out of her chest, Tara made a choice. No matter what it cost her, no matter how brief it may be, this was home. For the first time in her life, she had a home. Jump City, Titans Tower, Garfield Logan… that was her home.

 _Park Row, Gotham City…_

The young man's eyes opened to the sound of vibrations against his nightstand. Last night had been a… particularly difficult night for him. He'd been tailing these chumps hiding out in the Industrial District for months now, after he heard they were smuggling weapons into Gotham for Cobblepot. Not just your standard street-tough peashooters, either; the crap these idiots were hauling was heavy-duty, military-grade stuff. It seemed like Penguin was winding up to take a shot at one of the other big-time gangs in the city, expand his territory. Unfortunately, that almost always meant civilian casualties, which he wasn't okay with. So he decided to do some bud-nipping, see if he could stop this turf war before it started. Unfortunately, he didn't take into account that these punks had said military-grade stuff, and apparently were competent enough to use it. It was a miracle he didn't have to pull any rounds out of himself when he back at 2:30 this morning.

Either way, the big guy was here when he got back– told him he'd take care of the rest. Normally he'd put up a fight, tell the old man to stay out of his business, but frankly, he was just exhausted. He agreed, and he wasn't gonna go back on his word to the guy. Not after everything he'd done for him.

But exactly none of that had anything to do with the incoming call on his cell phone that had jolted him awake. He took a quick look at the screen, chuckling as he read the words BABY BRUCE on the display, before picking up the phone.

"Thanks for the wake-up call, kid," he said in a groggy voice before letting out a long grunt as he stretched. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

" _You'll forgive me if I dispense with the pleasantries and skip straight to the point."_ Damian's voice on the other end was just as dry as his old man's. _"We need your help with something pretty urgent. How would you like a trip out to California?"_

Wow. The brat's actually asking for help? He really has grown up.

"Well, little brother, it turns out you're actually in luck." A wry smile appeared across Jason Todd's face. "My schedule _just_ cleared up."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

 _August 3rd, 2017. 3:23 AM._

Damian sat perched in a high elm just outside of the Jump City limit, with Raven, Jaime and Tara behind him. From his position, he was able to keep an eye on their target: it was barely noticeable, but hidden just off the highway was a small hatch. Damian knew that this hatch would lead them straight into Wilson's bunker. Damian still had a hard time believing that the fearsome Deathstroke the Terminator, once considered to be the successor of Ra's al Ghul, had been reduced to such a pitiful state. The last time they'd fought, Wilson had control over an entire mountain stronghold, a castle he had seized from Damian's people. How one who held so much power had been brought so low was beyond him, but Damian felt no pity for Wilson. All Damian felt for that sad shell of a man was hatred and disgust. After the things he'd done, Slade didn't even deserve the bunker.

"We're ready when you are, Todd," Damian whispered into his com link. "What have you got planned?"

" _Just sit back and watch, junior,"_ Jason's voice cracked slightly through Damian's earpiece. _"You kids are in for a show."_

A moment later, up zoomed the Red Hood on his motorcycle. He hopped off the bike and retrieved something Damian couldn't quite make out from the box mounted on the bike's rear. Todd quickly rushed over, placing the object against the secret hatch before returning to his bike. Just as it clicked in Damian's mind what the object was, Todd pressed the button on the detonator in his hand, and the hatch was engulfed in a grand flash before flaming chunks of the concealed door were sent flying in all directions.

"HEY MISTER WILSON!" the Red Hood shouted into the fresh hole in the ground. "I know you're in there! Get out here and let's talk!"

Within four seconds, several soldiers clad head-to-toe in Deathstroke's detestable rebranding of the League of Assassin's uniform were pouring out from within the bunker. Shorty after Jason had been surrounded, out stepped the one-eyed beast himself, outfitted with what appeared to be some kind metal sheath in place of his old mask. He took the bait.

"I've heard tales about you, Hood," Deathstroke hissed under his metal mask. "They say you're the most dangerous of all the Batman's students. But if this is what you call an offensive… then I am disappointed."

"Ooh, that's some big talk…" Todd crossed his arms as he quipped. "Wanna see if you can back it up?" He throttled his bike aggressively, the roar of its engine acting as a taunt all on its own.

Deathstroke said nothing, but snapped his fingers. In a moment, two more soldiers wheeled out a black motorcycle with orange accents to Slade's side.

"Nice wheels, old man," Jason shouted as he throttled again, this time kicking up a cloud of dust under the spinning wheels of his bike. "Let's see if you can keep up!" As Todd began speeding off into the city, Wilson quickly mounted up and tore off after him.

"Wait one more minute. Let them go back inside…" Damian whispered, watching the remaining soldiers as they slowly descended back into the stronghold. About a minute or so after the last one disappeared from view, Damian gestured forward, and the squad crossed the highway and made for the entrance…

Jason tore down the streets of Jump City, the sound of gunfire cracking from behind him. _So this punk knew how to use a gun_ , he thought. _So what? He doesn't seem so–_

He identified the pop of his back tire just as the bike vanished from underneath him. _Yeah. I just had to open my mouth, didn't I?_

Jason crashed to the asphalt, his helmet shattering as he rolled like a log along the road. He barely managed to pull himself to his feet when he felt the icy touch of a steel blade to his neck send a shiver of his spine. _Oh crap…_

"Is that all you had in you, boy?" Shade growled, his one eye burning down on Jason. "I expected more after all your bravado."

Jason just barely saw the blur out of the corner of his eye, a half-smile curling on his lips as he watched the assassin pull back, preparing to cleave his head clean off. "Well, I guess you're right. I should have thought this through a little better. If only I'd maybe brought some backup…"

Jason didn't flinch as he watched Slade swing his blade. He also didn't flinch as the blue-and-red streak crashed into Slade from the side, sending him flying through the adjacent building. Instead he just grinned as the sword clattered to the steer next to him.

"Oh, wait…"

When Deathstroke looked up, floating overhead was Jonathan, a fiery look in his eyes.

"That was for hurting my friend," the boy growled, his eyes beginning to glow red. Deathstroke groaned.

"You have GOT to be kidding me…"

Tara ran as quietly as she could behind Damian and her friends. She hated the idea of being here again, after everything that happened… it sickened her to think about it. But, this was was needed to happen; she knew her way around Deathstroke's base better than anyone, and she had to be there in order for her neural implant to be shut down. Still… her skin crawled as she thought of what happened in these corridors. But she did her best to put that out of her mind as she and her teammates ducked into the shadows to avoid detection by the patrolling soldiers.

"We're almost there," she whispered once the soldiers were out of earshot. "Just a little further, then turn right at the end of the hall."

Damian nodded, taking the lead as the four of them darted between the shadows down the long hallway. But just as they were approaching the end of the corridor, four more troops came around from the left. In a panic, Damian leapt into the nearest doorway, followed immediately by the other three, just in time to avoid being spotted.

"That was way too close," Damian said under his breath, running a hand through his hair. "Sorry guys, I'll pay better attention from now on. Let's get in th…"

By this time, Tara had long since stopped paying attention. Tara, in fact, had slid down to the floor up against the wall, and could not move. Her eyes were wide open, and her mouth hung agape in mortified realization. This… this room was…

This was where it happened.

All at once, every memory of what Deathstroke had done to her came flooding back. The feeling of him cutting her open, pulling out her insides and putting the cold metallic abominations back in with them. The smell of blood overwhelming her senses, which she knew was her own that pooled all around her. The feeling of powerlessness as he tested his device, taking away all control of her body, exerting his will onto her in a way she could never fight back against. But worst of all… worst of all was the memory of him– _it_ – pulling her hair, throwing her onto the cold steel medical bed… the sting of the black eye it gave her as it tried to stop her thrashing… the chill of the restraints it latched to her wrists… the… the feeling of… oh god, it…

As Tara spiraled away in horror at what happened in the room she swore she'd never return to, a feeling she wasn't expecting swelled up in her heart: a sense of center. She could still see the vile sin committed against her over and over in her head, but the fear was… fading? It seemed to getting smaller, as if… as if the heart she thought was broken was being stitched back together. And something… something else echoed in the back of her mind. Something she'd heard before, but never understood until now…

 _Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos._

Suddenly, everything snapped back to reality. Tara blinked for a moment as she realized there hands held gently against her face. There, kneeling down in front of her, was Raven… who had tears streaming from her face. Why was she crying? Oh crap, did something happen while–

Before Tara could finish her thought, Raven threw her arms around her neck, weeping quietly. This just confused her even more… was everyone okay?

"Tara… I'm so… so sorry that he…" Raven's words were broken up between weak sobs. "that he did that to you…"

Suddenly it clicked. Raven was a healer… not just a healer, but an empath. She must have… she must have seen it. _Felt_ it. Every last scrap of pain and shame she'd felt for the last two years… Raven made it all go away.

Tara put her arms around Raven, and tears began to well up in her own eyes. "… it's okay now, Rae…" Tara's voice trembled and cracked as she searched for the right words. "… I'm home now."

Deathstroke tossed the battered Jonathan to the side with disdain, and Jason stood shaky, a deep cut in his left thigh. _Okay,_ he thought, _I wasn't expecting THAT. Where'd he even get that green crap?_ Kori flew to Jonathan's side and picked him up, looking worriedly at his dirt-covered face.

"I need to get him back to the Tower," Kori shouted. "Hood, can you hold Slade here?"

"No problem, princess," Todd said as he grit his teeth, pulling a knuckle knife out of its sheath on his right leg. "I can take this trash."

"Thank you," Starfire replied before flying out of the destroyed building with the young Superboy in her arms. Jason grit his teeth and charged Deathstroke head on. He leapt up, and felt his knee connect with, annoyingly, Slade's forearm. Jason cursed as he dropped back to the ground, launching into a furious offensive, blow after blow deflected by a steely-eyed Wilson. Aggravated by the lack of wear in his opponent's resolve, Jason pushed his body to throw shots even faster.

"Come on, boy!" Wilson taunted as he continued to block Jason's shots. "You are a child of Batman! You should have ended this far sooner!"

"Big talk comin' from someone who got curb-stomped by a TEN-YEAR-OLD!" Jason roared as as he launched the brass knuckles of his knife right into Wilson's mouth. Red Hood grinned and Deathstroke stumbled back; he felt a tooth come loose with that shot.

Slade stood there unmoving for a good four seconds. _Wait a minute,_ he thought. _The boy… the boy isn't here. And neither is his friend the witch… and neither is…_

Then it clicked.

"… well played, Titans."

Deathstroke walked forward. Jason put his hands up, ready to defend himself. But instead of a blade or fist, Jason was hit with a spray of blood and spittle. He flinched, swatting the tooth away from his face…

And froze as he felt six inches of cold steel bury itself in his stomach.

Jason doubled over, clutching the fresh wound as Deathstroke ran off, hopping back on his bike.

"Being a…" Todd muttered as blood dripped through his fingers onto the ground under him. "… being a big brother… _sucks_ …"

Deathstroke flew down the highway back towards the bunker, cursing himself for being so oblivious. He was NOT going to let her escape! Not after how much time and resources he'd spent engineering her into his greatest weapon. She was his, she belonged to–

Before he could react, Slade felt the full force of whatever wall of muscle had just crashed into him. He found himself rolling down across asphalt into the dead grass, a thunderous pounding on the ground following after him. Quickly, Wilson pulled himself to his feet, and looked up to lock eyes with a massive, one-armed, green gorilla. The beast's teeth were bared, and it threw itself toward him, roaring with blind rage. Slade was quick, however, and managed to leap out of the ape's way.

"Garfield Logan, I presume!" Deathstroke shouted as he drew his sword. "How fascinating to meet the infamous Changeling in the flesh!"

The gorilla quickly morphed into the shape of a lion, batting the sword right out of Deathstroke's hand before bearing down onto him. As much as he hated admitting it, the three kids from before had worn him down. His body was pushed past its limit, and wouldn't hold out much longer.

Garfield, on the other hand, was in such a fury that he could hardly even think straight. Swinging wildly, his single coherent thought what this man had done to his Tara. The image of him forcing himself onto her, the sound of her crying for crying out for help and receiving none, the thought of her locked away in the dark, it was unforgivable. Garfield would show no mercy. This monster didn't deserve mercy…

"Let him go, BB."

Garfield turned, Deathstroke's head in his jaws, to see Tara standing tall on the empty highway, with their friends close behind her. Garfield dropped the broken man, quickly reverting to his original shape. Tara pulled a bloodied rag off of her neck and ran to Garfield, taking his face in her hands.

"Everything is gonna be alright now, Beast Boy." Tara spoke softly, her eyes beaming with strength and love. "I'm free now."

"Tara…" Garfield struggled to ground himself again, but slowly wrapped his arm around the girl's waist, squeezing his eyes closed and breathing in her familiar scent. Her presence made it easier to find his center. "I… how did you guys…?"

Tara let out a single laugh as she put her arms around his neck. "Jaime has a supercomputer strapped to his back, and Raven has that healing magic stuff," she said nonchalantly. "Took like, five minutes once we were in." Garfield couldn't help but crack up at that.

"Beast Boy," Damian called out from behind. "Where is Red Hood?"

"Huh? Uhh…" Gar paused for a moment. He hadn't even noticed until just now. "I haven't seen him. Haven't seen Star and Superboy either."

"Todd?" Slade coughed from his place on the ground, the taste of blood filling his mouth as he struggled to lift himself up. "Heh… I left him back in the city. You should… you should go now and pick up what's left of him…" he cackled, dropping back to the ground.

Tara turned her attention to the man at her feet. Her brow furrowed in anger as she let go of Garfield. "BB, get Robin back to the city." Gar immediately took on the form of a stallion, and carried Damian swiftly back toward Jump City. Tara knelt down and pulled what remained of the helmet off of Wilson's head, revealing his aged face. She grabbed him by his hair and hoisted him up to eye level, her stare boring into his one eye.

"It's over, Slade. You don't get to give me orders anymore," she growled, holding herself back as best she could. He looked back at her wearily, clearly beaten. "I'm taking my life back."

"… As long as the Changeling lives…" Slade's voice was broken, gurgled through blood in his throat. "… You will **always** belong to me."

Tara tightened her grip on Wilson's hair, then dropped him unceremoniously on his face. "You have three days to leave Jump City. If I _ever_ see you here again…" She rose back up to her feet, glaring down at Deathstroke angrily.

Raven put a hand on Tara's shoulder, reassuring her that she was better than this. "If we see you here again, we'll stop you. All of us."

That moment, Raven's comlink crackled to life. _"Raven,"_ Damian's voice came over the signal. _"We made it back to the city… Jason's not here."_

"Do you know where he may have gone?" Raven asked. "If we can find him, I'll be able to heal his injuries…"

" _No… but he'll be fine,"_ Damian sighed. _"He always pulls through."_


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

 _August 5th, 2017. 1:34 PM._

It was a good day in Titans Tower.

For the first time in weeks, everything seemed normal. Well, as normal as life for the Teen Titans could get, anyways. And it showed in how the Titans interacted with one another; combat practice had been the smoothest it's been since Garfield lost his arm. That was something that put Damian's mind in particular at ease; the weight of what he'd done was still there, but it was comforting to know that everyone was still woven together strong despite all that had happened. For as proud of his heritage as he was, Damian's heart did not rejoice in the fact that he came from, essentially, a broken home. His relationship with his mother would never be what it should have been. But he was never going to let that discourage him. He was blessed with a loving father, many brothers and sisters whom he knew he could rely on, and the love and approval of his grandfather– not Ra's al Ghul, but Alfred. And now he had another family, one made up largely of the last people he'd expected; two aliens, a street tough, a vagabond, an outcast, and a witch. It made him wonder what his mother would think if she could see him now…

But now wasn't the time for what-ifs. Damian sat on the couch in the living room of Titans Tower, with the sound of his friends' laughter filling the air around him. This was a day of celebration; today was all about Tara. Today the Titans celebrated Tara's well-deserved and regained freedom. Holding on for two years of captivity and torture the way she did was something no one should ever be forced to endure. It was inhuman… not just inhumane, but actually inhuman. No one should have had to do what Tara had done… but she did it. She survived everything, and came out the other end stronger, with a new family to hold her up. Damian could relate to that part, but he would always admire her fortitude. Tara carried a great burden on her shoulders, more than she ever should have to, but her light could still never be hidden when she was near.

" _Damiaaaaaan_ ~!" a voice rang out from behind him. Oh boy…

Before he could object, Damian was hoisted up into the air by a pair of arms wrapped around his chest, as Jon lifted him up and hugged him tightly.

"Jon, please put me d–" Damian strained to get the words out as Jon squeezed harder. " _AaaughohIcan'tbreathe_ …"

"Not until you give a toast!" Jon teased as he shook Robin around gently. "C'mon, you give the best toasts!"

Damian nodded quickly as he kicked his legs in frustration, his face turning blue as he struggled for air. Jon finally dropped him, and he took in a loud gasp of air, begging his knees not to give way.

" _Hahh_ … _hahh_ … all you… had to do…" Damian sputtered between gasps. "Was… ask… Jon… _hoooo_ …"

Damian picked himself back up and shook the wooziness out of his head as Jon brought him a glass of iced water. He took it with both hands, draining the whole glass in a matter of seconds, before handing it back to Jon as if asking for another.

"D… dude." A cheeky grin spread across Jon's face. "That was supposed to be for your toast."

Damian glared at Jon, who just shook his head and fetched him another glass.

"Everyone," Damian called out, attracting the attention of his fellow Titans. "Listen up for a minute, I'd like to say a few words."

"Oh boy," Tara said grinning, one arm around Garfield and the other around Jaime, "are you about to show us your party-Bruce impression?" Even Damian had to chuckle at that; anyone who knew his father was the Batman had a "party-Bruce" voice, just because of how drastic the difference was in Bruce's demeanor at some high-life gala and his demeanor once he put on the cowl.

"Sorry Tara, maybe next time." Damian winked at his teammate. "This time I have to be a little more genuine."

"Today we take a moment to give thanks," the Boy Wonder began. "The past few weeks have brought about some… to put it gently, disconcerting revelations. But for all the personal investment put into this assignment, we pulled it off. Everyone here played a part in righting all the wrong we were up against… but none of us had more to lose than you, Tara. You were the one who brought us the victory, after everything that happened. You stood strong, and you've more than earned your place among the Titans. You'll always have a home here. And know this…"

Damian paused to collect his thoughts, looking over to Tara and raising his glass.

"You'll always be free."

Tara smiled back at him and winked. "To freedom."

"To freedom," Garfield said, leaning in and pressing his lips to Tara's cheek.

"To freedom," Jon said, raising his glass high.

"To freedom," Kori said, putting her hand on Jon's shoulder.

"To freedom," Jaime said, giving Damian a quick nod.

"To freedom," Raven said, walking over and putting a hand on Damian's back.

For that one moment, everything seemed perfect.

Then the elevator door opened, and out stepped the Batman.

Everyone froze as they watched the dark figure, a quiet rage behind his eyes, walk into the room.

"If you'll all excuse me…" the Dark Knight growled as he pulled his mask off, revealing his tired blue eyes and his furrowed brow. "I need to speak to my son. _Alone_."

Slowly, each of the Titans, one at a time, makes their way out of the room, until the only ones still there were Damian and Bruce. The elder superhero gestured to the couch, a silent order for his son to sit. He did.

There was a moment of palpable silence between them.

"Damian, I thought we were done keeping secrets from one another." Bruce's gaze was cold, unnerving.

"You and I both know you would have overreacted, Father," Damian made his point as bluntly as he could. He wasn't in the mood for his father's unbearable routine; today was supposed to be about something bigger. "I was looking out for my friends."

"You're in no position to decide what an overreaction is," his father shot back as quickly as Damian had. "And you don't know that."

"Oh, don't even," Damian barked, his voice casting a sharp reverberation around the room. "You would have thrown Tara into some holding cell in the Watchtower, treated her like a criminal! She's NOT a criminal, she was a victim!"

" _Mind your tone!_ " Bruce's voice rumbled from his chest as he shouted, in a way that would shake most to their core. Damian, however, would have none of it, as he rose to his feet.

"No! _You_ listen to _me_!" Damian shouted right back into Bruce's face. "You're so bent on the idea that I still need your help, it's become _impossible_ in your mind that I can accomplish anything without you. But _look at me_ , Father! Look at what I've built here! You're so critical of everything I've done, you refuse to believe that anything I've done without you has ever been any sort of good. But come down from your blasted pedestal, Father, and open your eyes. Because no matter how foreign the concept might be to you, _you are WRONG_."

Damian stood brazenly before his father, fists clenched tightly as his chest rose and fell, the only sound in the air being that of his drastic, angry breaths. Bruce just sat there in silence on the couch, his eyes widened ever so slightly at this show of defiance from his son. Slowly, the Dark Knight let out a sigh, bringing his hands together and leaning forward, his gloved fingers interlocking in front of his face which had shifted into a more pensive expression. He stayed silent for a brief moment, closing his eyes as he took in two long, slow breaths.

"Son… you're right," Bruce said, his voice dropped from a powerful boom to a low, almost groan-like half-whisper that swirled with emotion. "You've accomplished so much since you left home."

After a brief hesitation, Damian's fists unclenched, his hand slowly uncurling to an open shape as his shoulders dropped, his arms relaxing as he shifted his feet to a less defensive position.

"But don't think I've been completely blind to all that you've done," Bruce continued. "I've been wrestling with this for months now. I've been so… afraid of seeing you fail, I've been denying the reality of you growing up. You may only be fourteen now, but you've already shown maturity that some don't exhibit until they're much older men. As your mentor, I couldn't be more proud of you. But as your father…" Bruce lowered his head, resting his forehead on his hands. "… as your father, it's hard to admit it. But whether it hurts or not… it's time."

Damian tilted his head forward just barely, unsure of the implications his father was making. "W… what are you…"

Bruce looked up at his son, his visage grim. "It's time for you to give it back."

Damian paused. "… what?"

"Your uniform," Bruce said flatly. "Give me back your uniform."

Damian's heart dropped into his stomach.

"… are you serious…?" The young Wayne's voice quaked, this time with a mixture of shock and rage. His fists clenched again as his rage won over. " _Are you serious?_ "

"Yes, I'm serious." Bruce unfolded his hands, looking into his son's eyes. "Your time being Robin is over."

" _How dare you_ _!_ " Damian exploded with anger, his voice ringing through the entire Tower floor. "I have been _nothing_ but loyal to you! I have sacrificed _everything_ to be a part of this team! I gave up my _heritage_ for you! I gave up my _people_ for you! _I gave up my mother for you!_ "

Bruce stood up, his presence bearing down on his son. " **Let. Me. Finish.** "

Damian's eyes widened as he looked up into his father's eyes, and his voice withdrew into his chest. In the back of his mind, Damian realized that his father was not quite so much taller than him as he remembered.

A rough stream of air came out from Bruce's nostrils. "Your time being Robin is over… now it's time for you to take up a new title."

Damian took a step back, his pounding heart slowly beginning to regulate as he processed the information he was taking in.

"I know you've given up so much of your world to become a part of mine, son." Bruce's expression softened, his gaze giving off a feeling of understanding and gratitude. "That's why this is so important. You can't be Boy Wonder anymore… because you're not a boy anymore. You're headstrong, quick to anger, and you have so much to learn… but there's really nothing left for me to teach you. As hard as it is for me to admit it… you're a man now, Damian. You're a man."

The palpable silence refilled the air around them. After a moment, Bruce held up his hand. After another moment, with a single tear falling from his eye, Damian clasped it. His father was right; Damian wasn't a student anymore. Not a sidekick. He was his own man. His own hero.

"C'mon," Bruce said, "we need to take this down to the workshop. We have work to do."

 _August 6th, 2017. 10:34 PM._

"Are they seriously still in there?"

"Yes Tara, they're still working."

"But it's been three days! How have they not come out once yet?"

"Well, this is the Batman we're dealing with. Nobody really knows how he operates besides him and all the old Robins."

"But I mean, come on. When do they eat? When do they sleep? When do they _pee_!?"

"Maybe they have some kinda waste filter built into their suit. They just, like, go whenever, and the suit filters it into–"

"Gar, listen to yourself. _Estúpido, 'mano_."

"… yeah, okay. But I mean, there's gotta be some explanation…"

"Hey, Jon just texted me, he wants us to FaceTime him. He's flying over the fair back in Kansas with his parents, and the fireworks are about to start."

Bruce and Damian couldn't help but chuckle as they heard all the other Titans on the other side of the door. When the two of them got to work the way they did together, it was easy to forget how unreal their work ethic was in the eyes of others, even other heroes. Truth be told, the only one who worked harder than them was Tim; when he got some goal in his head, he would often keep working at it until he literally passed out. Then once he came to, he would get right back at it. His dedication was admirable, but he really needed to take better care of himself. But that was an issue for another time; it was finally done. Damian was suited up, and it was time to present himself to his friends. He and his father shook hands, exchanging a look that spoke pride and gratitude for one another, and finally opened the door to the Titans' workshop. As they stepped out, Damian's teammates stood round, and each of them stopped to marvel at the most recent of Bruce and Damian Wayne's creations.

Damian stood before them, garbed in a suit that appeared an even darker black than his father's. On his gauntlets were hand guards in the shape of skulls, and his forearms appeared to be "wrapped" in a grey material that resembled burial wraps, the ends of which hung loosely from his arms. His boots were black, with the exception of grey shin guards, and his utility belt was a dark grey with red accents, and a circular buckle. His mask, while the same style as his Robin mask, was now a blood-red color, and his cape was black with a grey inner layer, now tattered at the ends as if worn down from years, if not decades, of use. Deceptive and clever, everyone knew, as it was likely more durable than most protective material. Other than that, the suit was completely black save for one mark: a pair of bright red slash marks stretched across his chest, which intersected over his heart.

"Whoa…" Garfield's mouth was agape as he admired his friend's new uniform. "That is so _sick_ , D…"

"Thank you, Logan," Damian said with a subtle half-smile. "Father was right. It's time I established my own legacy."

Tara scooted up towards Damian and pointed her tablet at him. Jon was on the screen, his face illuminated by the lights of the fair below him, and his cape billowed behind him, the sound of wind quietly blowing in the background.

"Hey, look who finally came back to the light of day!" He teased, a wide grin across his face. He threw his eyebrows up as he took in the new appearance of his teammates. "Oooooh, nice new digs, Robin!"

"Thank you Jonathan, but I'm afraid Robin is gone." Damian couldn't help but raise his head high as the fireworks began to crackle behind his friend, throwing bright flashes of all different colors across his face. "As of today, you can call me X… _Red X_."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

 _October 23rd, 2017. 10:43 PM._

Damian brushed the dirt from his hands after tying up the two unconscious crooks who had tried to knock over a liquor store in downtown Jump City. It was truthfully kind of relaxing dealing with so small crime her and there after the ordeals the Titans had been going through as of late. Deathstroke was not someone Damian had ever hoped to see alive again, but at the end of it, it was probably for the best that he turned up in Jump City rather than somewhere else. And because of his appearance, the Titans had all grown. Even Damian, who now bore the name Red X, felt he'd benefited from the conflict.

"Alright," he called out to Raven as he made his way up to the roof where she was waiting. "What else do we have on the scanners?"

"Actually, nothing," Raven replied, communicator in hand as she searched the entire city for any sort of alerts. "That was the last one. Looks we have a little free time."

"Ugh…" Red X rolled his eyes at the thought of it. "I hate standing around waiting for something to pop up. It's a good sign, but it's so… boring."

Raven smiled at him. "C'mon, let's go find some place to rest while we wait for someone to call us. I'm a little winded."

"Ha! Getting tired already?" Damian teased as he scooped Raven up in his arms. "How are we supposed to last the whole night, hmm?"

Raven shook her head and laughed quietly, putting her arms around Damian's neck as he carried her across the rooftops. "You're such a dork, you know that?"

Eventually, after a good ten minutes, Damian and Raven stood atop a tall apartment building, overlooking the lower east side of the city. They both sat, dangling their legs over the ledge, and Raven pulled her hood off. Damian couldn't help but gaze over at her as he pulled off his mask and set his gauntlets aside, revealing the black sleeves underneath that ran all the way up to his wrists. Her hair had grown much longer since they met, now reaching the middle of her back as opposed to being up off her shoulders like before. She hadn't gotten much taller, the two of them now being almost the same height, but he could see the signs of their time as Titans in her skin, in the form of scars. Raven had been fortunate in that she escaped most fights without any serious injuries, but occasionally she would be caught by a lucky knife, or grazed by a bullet that hit a bit too close to home. Hence Raven's body did have a few small marks here and there… unlike Damian, who's body was effectively covered in them. Being a close-combat specialist, Damian knew that just came with the territory. He just gave thanks every day that Raven didn't take that kind of damage.

He continued observing her as she sat looking out across the skyline. Her skin, aside from the scars, was smooth and pale, which Damian felt suited her. His eyes drifted to her face; by some strange miracle, her face had only one scar underneath her hair, where Garfield had knocked her through a wall when he was possessed. But aside from that, it was perfect. Her eyes were filled with a peace that made the light in her purple irises dance like beams of sunset across the water. The jewel on her forehead had long since fallen away; there was no need for it anymore anyways. Trigon was never coming back. After a moment of watching her eyes flutter across the skyline, Damian's eyes slowly drifted down to her lips…

Raven glanced over to see the enamored expression on Damian's face, and couldn't help but pause. "Damian…" she whispered, her cheeks adopting the most subtle shade of red. "W… what is it?"

Damian looked into Raven's eyes, and a soft smile appeared on his face. "You're beautiful," he said, his voice quiet but clear. "You're so beautiful…"

Raven's face grew redder, and she turned away. "I…"

Damian slid closer, placing his hand on top of hers. "Raven… I know you can feel me. You know my heart better than I do…" He paused, his eyes drifting down to their hands, as he ran his fingers down her arm. "And you know that… that I…"

Raven turned back to him, the purple clouds in her irises swirling with life. She knew exactly what was coming next. Her heart began to flutter, from fear but also from anticipation.

Damian looked deep into Raven's eyes and took a deep breath.

"… You know that I love you."

In that moment, everything seemed to freeze. Raven had known exactly what he was going to say. But if you'd given her a year, it wouldn't have been enough time to ready herself to hear it. When the words finally came out, Raven's emotions got the better of her. She threw herself into Damian's arms, catching him off-guard and sending them both plummeting from the rooftop. They were in free fall for a half-second before Raven caught the both of them. There they hung in the air over Jump City, arms wrapped tightly around each other, surrounded in a brilliant amethyst light.

"Damian…" Raven's voice was unsteady, tears streaming down her face. "Damian, I love you."

Damian pulled Raven in as close as he could, feeling her magic surrounding the both of them. This was it, he thought. His whole life had been leading up to this very moment. Everything he'd ever done was planned out by some force on high– God, Azar, who can say– to bring him right here into this girl's arms. Here in this moment, he was exactly where he belonged.

Damian looked into Raven's eyes, now practically glowing with feeling, and slowly drew closer. Raven felt Damian's heart beat even faster, and knew what was about to happen. The two of them pulled each other closer than ever, arms around one another as if promising to hold on forever, and closed their eyes, inches away from the moment…

A sudden beeping from the communicator on Raven's belt brought them to a halt.

After a brief second of complete stillness, Damian turned his head, nestling his cheek gently into Raven's neck, and let out a drawn-out groan. _It was going to be perfect…_ Raven shook her head and laughed, rubbing Damian's back comfortingly. Quickly they floated back to the rooftop they'd fallen from, and Raven answered her communicator as Damian pulled his gauntlets back on.

"Raven here," the mage girl said, still beaming. "Go ahead, Jon."

"Y'all, we got a _big_ one!" Superboy shouted excitedly from the other end of the com, his accent slipping through for a brief second. "Some punk on a motorcycle, buncha tattoos and crap, tried to rob the back uptown! C'mon!"

" _Oh, we'll be RIGHT there, Jonno!_ " Damian yelled over his shoulder as he put on his mask, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Raven couldn't help but let out a small giggle before nodding and hanging up. She walked over to Red X, who was at the moment running his hands rather roughly through his hair, and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"It's okay, Damian." Raven rested her head on the boy's shoulder from behind him. "Next time it'll be perfect, promise." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and he suddenly stood up straight. She smiled, her cheeks still glowing red, and moved toward the edge of the building facing uptown. But just as she went to fly off to find the other Titans, a black-and-grey blur tore past her as Damian leapt from the rooftop, his cape expanding into a wing-like shape allowing him to glide off towards uptown.

Raven just smiled and followed close behind her Damian. _Next time, it would be perfect,_ she thought, _because he made it perfect._


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

 _November 21st, 2017. 5:47 PM._

"Welcome to Gotham City, Miss Roth."

Damian smiled as he watched Raven step off the plane to the rain-covered concrete below. This was her first time in Gotham, and it was comforting for Damian to know that her first experience in the city would be in the best care possible; Gotham was was a dangerous place, but they were in the care of Bruce Wayne. They couldn't possibly be more safe.

Awaiting them at the bottom of the steps, umbrella in hand, was Alfred, a sight for sore eyes if there ever was one. He smiled up at the girl, his eyes tired, but full of life. This time of year was special to him; he'd grown to love all of the members of Bruce's little family just as much as Bruce had. They were like his grandchildren, and it was truly a blessing to see them all together, especially when it didn't involve some dire threat to the city.

"Th… thank you, sir." Raven stopped for a second, turning back for a moment to look back at Damian before taking the the elder gentleman's hand. As she stepped down onto the wet ground, Alfred turned to Damian, who was now making his way down the steps.

"Master Damian!" Alfred smiled up at the Titan. "It's good to see you again, sir! You look well."

"Thank you, Pennyworth," Damian smiled as he stepped down underneath the umbrella. "How are Father and Alfred?"

"I'm happy to say that the both of them are in good health, sir," the butler said he led them to a golf cart parked near the runway.

"Wait…" Raven's eyebrow rose as she hopped into the passenger seat of the cart. "I thought _you_ were Alfred."

"Alfred is what I named my cat," Damian explained. "Here, let me drive."

"I'm afraid not, sir." Alfred folded in his umbrella as he sat down behind the wheel. "Master Bruce gave me specific instructions not to allow you to drive for the duration of this trip."

"What? But I know how to drive, what's the deal?"

"Apologies, sir…" Alfred grinned slyly at Damian. "But your father was quite adamant. He said that you are, and I quote, 'a madman behind the wheel'."

Damian chuckled as he flopped across the back seat of the cart. "I steal the Batmobile _one_ time…" Raven looked back at him bewildered as Alfred laughed, driving off towards their car…

After avoiding the lecherous members of Gotham's press as best they could, the three of them arrived at Wayne Manor. As Alfred opened the door for the two Titans, Raven looked up at the old mansion curiously.

"Welcome to Wayne Manor, Miss Roth." Alfred gestured toward the front door, beckoning for the two to head inside.

"Thank you, sir. It's a beautiful building," Raven replied as they made their way up the steps. "How long as it been here?"

"This manor has been in the Wayne family since the early 1800s," Alfred began to explain, reaching for the door. "In fact, the tunnels underneath were once used to conceal runaway slaves in the Undergro–"

Before he could open the door, it burst open from inside, nearly knocking Damian back down the stairs. As the boy sat back up and shook the dirt from his hair, he looked up to see a red-haired, bespectacled girl standing in the doorway. Judging by her stature, she looked to be about Damian's age.

"Oh, jeez! Sorry, dude," the girl ran to Damian and helped him to stand back up. "Didn't see ya there! You alright?"

"Um… yes?" Damian replied, bewilderment displayed on his face. "Who exactly… are you?"

"That," a voice replied from just inside the house, "is Carrie. Carrie Kelly." All four of them turned to see Bruce Wayne standing in the foyer, his arms crossed as he looked down at his boy.

"Hey, boss! Sorry about your guest…" Carrie stopped for a moment as she looked back and forth between Damian and Bruce. "Wait… is he one of…"

Bruce nodded. "He was the fifth. Just before you."

Carrie grinned. "Coo'," she said, walking back inside. Damian paused for a moment as the realization came to him.

"You already had me replaced?" He looked at his father in surprise.

Bruce nodded. "Carrie comes from a rough home. Her parents are both drug addicts, not providing the environment she needs to grow."

Alfred smiled with pride. "She's every bit as energetic as Master Richard was at that age."

"Wait, so you just…" Raven stuttered for a moment, blinking rapidly as she took in this information. "… you just swooped in and pulled this girl out of her terrible home life?"

Damian shrugged. "He tends to do that. It's kind of his thing."

"We'll have plenty of time to discuss the misfortune of all of your siblings, Master Damian, once they've all arrived. For now, let us get out of this rain. Come now, Miss Roth, let me show you to your room." Raven followed the butler into the manor as Damian walked with his father into the study.

"So this new Robin…" Damian began as he scanned the shelves. "How long have you had her?"

"I found her early September, started training her right away," Bruce replied as he approached the old grandfather clock against the wall. "I haven't let her come on patrol with me yet, not until she's ready."

"Does she take to it?" The younger Wayne turned to face his father as the clock moved out off the wall, revealing a passageway behind it into the Batcave. "She seems like she has the energy for it, especially considering how old she is…"

Bruce grinned. "Like a fish to water," he said, beckoning for his son to descend first. "In fact, when I told her the last Robin would be here, she insisted on sparring with you."

Damian smirked as he walked down the stairway. "How does she like the uniform?"

"Oh, she… has opinions on it," Bruce sighed as he followed behind his boy into the Cave. "Opinions that I don't necessarily agree with, but…"

As they entered the cave, Damian was surprised to see Carrie standing in the training ring, wearing her uniform… or, at least, part of it. She had no cape, her mask was replaced with what looked like some kind of goggles, and her legs were completely bare.

"Hey, you! Five!" Carrie called out, addressing Damian as she spun her staff in her hand. "Wanna go a few rounds?"

Damian looked the girl up and down, and almost had to stifle a laugh. "Maybe once you actually get dressed, sure," the Titan quipped, cocking an eyebrow. "That can't possibly be your whole uniform."

"Okay, one: I don't wear the cape when I'm training." The new Robin stood leaning on her staff, one arm wrapped around it and the other on her hip. "And two: you're just jealous my legs are _awesome_."

"It isn't about how you look, Carrie." Damian pulled his shirt off, revealing his Red X uniform underneath. "It's about how protecting your body. It won't matter what your legs like if someone gets lucky and shoots them full of holes."

"That's exactly what the big guy said!" Carrie grinned as she shifted into stance.

"Well, that makes sense," Damian said before flipping into the ring, his pants flying off, leaving him in the top and leggings of his uniform as he landed in a stance of his own. "After all, he IS half of my DNA."

"This'll be good…" Bruce said under his breath as Raven and Alfred walked into the cave. "Grab some popcorn, you two."

Carrie launched off her staff, flying at Damian feet-first through the air. The Titan shifted out of the way of her body, but threw his arm up to block the staff coming behind him. The instant her feet touched the ground, the girl shot forward, swinging her staff low, knocking Damian off his feet. Damian caught himself on his hands, throwing himself in a circle on the ground and sweeping Carrie's feet out from under her.

"Beast Boy taught him that one," Raven whispered to Alfred. He nodded in acknowledgment.

Carrie threw herself into the air with her arms as Damian rolled away, pulling himself to his feet. Carrie leapt at him again, stealing the offensive back as soon as Adam had taken. Damian ducked just as her leg tore through the air where his head had just been. Damian felt the wing behind her kick, and threw his arms up in front of him just in time to block her other leg. But when it connected, the sheer force behind it was more than Damian had expected, and she tossed him into the air. Just as Damian realized he was airborne, Carrie leapt up after him, locking her legs around his head and driving it into the floor.

"Catwoman taught her that one," Alfred whispered to Raven. She remained motionless, save for a twitch in her fingers.

"You give, Five!?" Carrie taunted, squeezing Damian's neck between her legs. "Tap out if ya give!"

Raven's brow began to furrow.

Damian gripped at the new Robin's legs and pulled. Good lord, it was like trying to pry open a vice! " _Robins don't give…_ " he growled, deciding on a different tactic.

Raven's hands clenched into fists.

Damian slid further up, pushing himself to his feet with Carrie sitting on his shoulders, her legs still locked around his neck. He threw himself forward, hoping to catch her off-guard, but Carrie caught them both with her hands before her head could crash to the ground.

Raven's eyes widened.

" _Whoa, now!_ " Carrie shouted, flipping the two of them over and grabbing Damian's hair as he clawed at her legs for breath. "You're gonna hafta try harder than that, cowbo–"

The two of them were suddenly lifted into the air, pulled apart by a dark energy. Damian looked down to see Raven with her hands raised, her eyes glowing with a deep purple light.

"Let's get something straight, 'Robin'…" Raven growled. "His name is **Damian**. And he's **mine**."

"Oh, dear…" Alfred muttered under his breath.

"Raven, please put my kids down." Bruce's voice was low, as to avoid aggravating the girl any further. After a moment of glaring up at Carrie, Raven gently set them both down, walked into the ring, and put wrapped her arms around Damian's neck.

"Wow…" Carrie sat on the ring floor blinking for a moment. "… I'm sorry, I wasn't tryin' to…"

"Daaaaaaang, kid!" Everyone turned to see Dick Grayson drop into the ring. "Who would have ever thought you'd be the jealous type?"

"Oh! Hey, One." Carrie held her hand up, and Dick pulled her back onto her feet.

"Good to see ya again, Six," Dick replied, before turning to Raven and Damian. "Listen, Raven, Carrie didn't mean any harm…"

"I know," Raven said, looking back at the new Robin, one arm still around Damian. "I'm sorry for snapping like that. I just…"

"Hey, I get it!" Carrie threw her hands up with a grin. "You don't like people messin' with your guy. That's fine."

"Gotta admit, though," Dick said as he turned back to Carrie, "I actually expected Damian to pull the win out. That was impressive how you pulled that out!"

"I told ya already…" Carrie stood proudly, hands on her hips. " _Awesome_ legs."

"You should wear something to protect them," Raven said. "If they're you're best weapon, you have to take better care of them."

" _Thank you_ , Raven!" Bruce shouted as he walked back up the stairs into the house.

Damian groaned. It was going to be a very long week…


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

 _November 23rd, 2017. 6:24 PM._

"Pardon me, everyone. If it's all the same, I'd like to say a few words."

The dining table in Wayne Manor was rarely ever occupied by more than two people at a time; most nights it went unused, but on the seldom occasions it was used, it would either be by Bruce and whatever date he'd brought home that night, or Bruce and Alfred. Even then, Bruce much preferred to eat as he worked. Often times, he and Alfred ate in the cave, going over information on the Batcomputer regarding whatever cases he was working on at the time. Although every now and then, he and Alfred would sit down together in front of the television in the master bedroom and watch some old film that Alfred had shown Bruce as a boy before he left for his training. But once every year in November, the diningroom of Wayne Manor came to life. While Bruce himself wasn't much of a praying man, Alfred believed firmly in the value of faith. He was unable to attend regularly, but he made sure to give to the Episcopal congregation not too far outside the city limits whenever he was able, and he prayed often for the safety of all his charges. And each November, he offered up a prayer of thanks for bringing all of them home safe.

This year, as Pennyworth looked at everyone gathered around the table for dinner, he found himself silently thanking the Lord that there were even more faces than last Thanksgiving; of course Bruce was there at the head of the table, deciding to take the time from his work to enjoy the company of his family. On his left (one seat down from Alfred's, at everyone's insistence) sat Richard and Barbara; Alfred was more proud of the both of them than he could put into words for their commitment to one another. On Bruce's right were young Damian and his friend Raven; though it was surprising to see such devotion in teenagers (especially coming from Damian), it warmed Alfred's heart to see that his grandson had found someone he could share his heart with. Beside Barbara sat Stephanie, and Timothy beside her. Of all the young minds he and Bruce had helped to groom, Ms. Brown and Mr. Drake's light shone the brightest for the longest, and Alfred was convinced that if anyone could move forward and live a life resembling something normal, it would be the two of them. Across from them, thank God, were Jason and Cassandra… Alfred still cursed himself for not being able to bring Jason back into the family sooner when he first returned from the dead (even though he was grateful for the secret visits Todd made to the Manor when he had no food… a secret Pennyworth has kept even from Bruce all these years). And sweet Cassandra had endured so much… when a child is brought up from birth for war and blood as she was, it was truly a Herculean feat to make her feel safe and secure, but they had made it happen; she still struggled, but here she was, smiling back at him. And lastly, seated beside Timothy, was the newest, youngest addition to their family. Young Carrie had much to learn about world that she'd stepped into, but Alfred was confident that she would excel once Bruce brought her into the field. She was unaware of the proceedings that were underway to bring her officially into their fold, but Alfred was confident that this was where she belonged.

"Take it away, Grandpappy!" Jason called out with a wink. Alfred let out a quiet chuckle; Todd may have had his ups and downs in this family, but his wit was always welcome to him.

"Each year…" he began. "… each year when we come together for this celebration, it seems each of you have more stories to share of your adventures. Each year brings with it its own share of hardships, losses, and tears… but I believe that…" the old butler paused to gather his thoughts, looking at each of their faces. "I believe that the price you all pay in struggles are outweighed by how… enriched you are by the lives you lead. Each year, you bring along with the weight of your falls a myriad of new joys at the steps you've taken, not merely in your careers as warriors for justice, but in your lives outside of the uniforms. As ordinary people. Having watched each of you come through this house… even you, Miss Raven…" Alfred nodded to the young woman across the table, who offered a sweet, admiring smile up at him. "… I've come to love each of you in a way that, truthfully, I never imagined I'd be given the opportunity to. You are my family… and I look forward to seeing each of you grow down the line."

"Here, here!" Timothy raised his glass, followed suit by everyone else. Alfred gave a small bow before taking his seat, and everyone began to pass the food all around the table.

"So Little D," Stephanie said to Damian from across the table as she took her helping of potatoes, "how's it feel to finally have your big-boy cape?" A few laughs sounded from around the table.

"Actually, it's much more fulfilling than I thought it would be," Damian replied as he applied cranberry sauce to his turkey before turning to Bruce. "No offense to you, Father, but being Red X is just… freeing. I don't have any shoes to fill, which makes actually being in the field far less pressing."

"No offense taken, Damian," Bruce said with a smile. "You did the best you could as Robin, and you earned your new title. I couldn't be more proud of you."

"Shyeah," Carrie chimed in from down the table. "You keep workin' hard, you might even last a whole minute next time you and me throw down!"

Damian grinned at the new Robin. "Oh, please. You think I was really giving it my best effort? I could drop you easily."

"Oh!" Kelley cocked an eyebrow and grinned right back at the boy. " _Oh!_ Is that a challenge I hear? You wanna catch these kicks again?"

"Anytime, _fresh meat_ ," Damian quipped before stuffing a piece of turkey into his mouth.

Tim couldn't help but laugh. "Is he still always this competitive, Raven?" He asked, taking a roll off the platter passing by.

"He's actually doing much better," Raven replied, glancing over at her Damian. "I couldn't imagine the Titans without him."

"Awww, you two are so cute!" Dick teased, sipping at the wine in his hand. "I remember when Babs and I were all starry-eyed like that. ' _Couldn't imagine the team without her…_ '"

"And look at you now, big guy," Jason said, waving a drumstick in his hand. "All engaged and crap, off gettin' married to your dream girl. So sweet it makes ya sick, ain't it?"

"Aww, is the little Jaybird jealous?" Barbara smiled wryly at the Hood. "Can't find a nice girl to settle down with for yourself?"

"That reminds me…" Cassandra started quietly. "You said your wedding was going to be in May, yes?"

Dick and Barbara froze for a moment. Everyone went quiet, and Raven's eyebrows raised as she made a peculiar observation.

"Umm, Dick…" Raven's voice was soft, cautious. "… why are you drinking out of Barbara's glass…?"

Dick and Barbara exchanged a quick look, and Dick stood up, sighing. "Well, y'see… we're moving the wedding back to November. It'll just be easier that way since everyone will already be in town, and…"

Barbara stood up, taking Dick's hand. "… and because I want to be able to fit into my dress."

Everyone fell silent for a moment, and Bruce's eyes widened. "You don't mean…"

Barbara smiled down at the Batman, taking in a deep breath. "… I'm pregnant."

All at once, the whole dining room erupted with sound; Alfred and Cass gasped, Stephanie squealed, Jason and Raven called out with congratulations, Tim and Carrie started to laugh. Damian smirked up at the Batgirl. He'd suspected since she and Dick arrived; she was practically glowing. Bruce sat unmoving, his mouth agape at the revelation. Dick and Barbara put their arms around each other, looking into each other's eyes with elation.

The rest of the night was spent talking about the baby. Barbara was four months along now. They were having a boy. After tossing several ideas around, they'd already settled on a name: Thomas John Grayson. Bruce actually shed a tear at this revelation; he knew they'd taken the first name from his father… It's what he would have named Damian had he known about him when he was born.

They planned to live just outside the edge of Blüdhaven, on a small ranch Dick had found in September. Dick would have to stay on as a police officer for few years longer than he'd planned in order to afford it, but he refused Bruce's offer to pay for the place. They didn't like the idea of depending on handouts from anyone; they were building a life together, they wanted to earn it together.

 _November 24th, 2017. 1:32 AM._

Damian sat on the roof of Wayne Manor, looking out towards the city in the distance. Even for the bright lights beaming from Gotham, the manor was far enough outside the city that Damian could still look up and see the stars illuminating the night sky. Nights like this, the boy would often look up to the heavens, and wonder if his mother were doing the same. A childish sentiment, perhaps, but a comforting one. She may be one of his father's greatest adversaries (and one of his own, by extension), but he did miss her. She had cared for him for most of his life. It pained him to be so far away from her, knowing they may very well never be able to be together again.

As Damian allowed his thoughts to wander, he began to wonder about his own future. Until recently, Damian never even considered the possibility of a life that involved anything more than becoming the Batman. Aside from ruling the world with his grandfather and the League of Assassins, the cowl had always been his destiny… his birthright. But now… now he didn't know. He had changed his mind about a great many things during his time as a Titan. Granted, he still wanted to be the Batman someday, there was no question about that. But… now he wondered what else he could devote his life towards. What would make him… what would make him _happy_?

Just as he asked himself this question, the answer crawled through the window and sat down next to him, looking up at the stars. He glanced over at her, and he couldn't help but smile as he saw the moonlight shimmer in her purple eyes. He placed his hand on hers, and there they both sat, neither one uttering a single word. Raven leaned her head upon Damian's shoulder. Damian closed his eyes and took a deep breath, thinking to himself about a different future… one far less lonely.

 _Don't ever let go, Raven Roth… I'll be lost the day you do._


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

 _December 22nd, 2017. 7:44 PM._

Damian stood looking out his bedroom window at the city outside, now blanketed in a white powder. When Damian came to America, he was under the impression that snow simply wasn't something that happened in California. But, lo and behold, the forecast was calling for a White Christmas. Unbelievable. This, unfortunately, put a halt to his holiday plans. Damian's father had been planning on bringing Alfred up to the Tower to visit the boy, and Jon had hoped he'd be able to bring his family back to Jump, and the six of them could spend Christmas together… or rather, the seven of them. But when snow falls in Jump City, it apparently is enough to warrant a total shutdown of all the airports until weather conditions are clear again. So now, since his father didn't want him driving anywhere by himself, Damian was stuck in Titans Tower.

On Christmas.

Alone.

… Or at least, he would be alone if not for Raven. Though her aunt in New York had invited "Rachel" to spend the holidays with them, Raven decided to stay behind and join the Kents and Waynes in their celebration. Kori offered to bring Raven with her to Blüdhaven to visit Dick and Barbara, but still the girl insisted on staying behind. Truth be told, Damian had mixed feelings about it; on one hand, he would give anything for her to be there with him on Christmas. But on the other hand, it made Damian even more disappointed that their plans had fallen through. He felt as if, even though it was beyond his control, he'd let her down somehow.

Raven walked into Damian's room, wrapping her arms around him from behind and nuzzling his cheek. Damian's face turned just the slightest tint of red. Maybe it wasn't all bad; having the Tower to themselves for a week was nice, Damian had to admit. But still, the dissatisfaction was there.

"Damian," Raven spoke softly into Damian's ear. "It's alright. I don't mind spending Christmas with just you and me."

Damian turned his head towards the girl, touching his nose to hers. "I know you don't…" he sighed, putting his arms over hers. "But I wanted this to be special. I wanted you to feel like part of the family."

"I do," Raven assured him before pressing her lips to his cheek. "But sometimes things just happen that we can't fix. It's okay."

Damian turned around in Raven's arms, his own arms sliding around Raven's waist. "I promise, I'll make it up to you. I'll come up with something."

"Damian…" Raven held her forehead to his, and moved one hand onto the back of his neck. "I don't need you to make it up to me. You've given me so much more than I could ever ask of you."

Damian smiled at the wonderful girl in his arms. For being together for so long, it's actually rather curious that they never…

 _Oh… There's an idea._

"Grab a coat," Damian said as he stepped back and rushed over to his closet, pulling out a pair of regular, non-superheroic boots.

"What?" Raven cocked her head to the side just slightly. "Why? Where are we going?"

"Nowhere in particular," Damian said smiling. "I just feel like going for a walk."

…

If Autumn is the best time to be in Gotham, then Winter is the best time to be in Jump City. As Damian and Raven walked through Central Park, the snow falling all around them, Raven couldn't help noticing that they were the only ones out. Upon taking a second look around, Damian realized that, yes, everyone else was gone.

Raven shrugged, turning back to look at Damian. "Guess everyone else thinks it's too cold to be outside."

"What about you?" Damian asked. "Are you cold?"

Raven shrugged. "Demons are better at maintaining their body temperature. I'm not quite as gifted, given that I'm only a half-demon, but I can still stand the cold better than most. They call it the 'Vein-Fire'…" Raven glanced back at Damian. "What about you? Are you cold?"

"I'm used to extreme temperatures like this…" Damian explained. "First time I ever saw snow, I was four years old. Had to climb a mountain. Broke my wrist… but I made it to the top anyway."

"They made you keep going?" Raven looked at the boy with pity. Damian shook his head.

"I just… did. It was what was expected of me. It's what I expected of myself…" Damian kept his eyes to the ground. "I mean… from day one I was, above all things else, the grandson of Ra's al Ghul. It was my duty to be the absolute best, whatever the cost."

Raven stopped walking for a moment , staring at him. He turned back to face her, his face glum.

"… Raven, that's not me anymore. You know that's not me."

"I know it's not you," Raven took Damian's face in her hands, looking into his icy blue eyes. "You're a good man, Damian. You're ten times the man your grandfather was."

Damian smiled. "I wish I'd realized then how wrong I was. I had no idea…"

"You were a child," Raven went on. "You could never have known, because they never allowed you to learn any differently." She slid her hands down onto the boy's shoulders.

"… You're right… I'm sorry, let's just keep walking." Damian took Raven by the hand, and they continued walking along the pathway. "There's actually something I've been wondering about for awhile now."

Raven sighed, letting the focus shift away. "What's that?"

"In all the time we've known each other…" Damian cracked a half-smile as he spoke. "I've never actually heard you listen to music."

"Really?" Raven cocked an eyebrow in surprise. "I actually… well, no. I don't guess I do it that often." They both laughed as they came to a frozen puddle in the center of the park.

"… Hey, Damian. I have an idea." Raven started walking out into the snow, headed for the edge of the park. She had gone about ten paces before she realized Damian wasn't following her. She turned to see him, staring thoughtfully back at her.

"Damian?" She called out to him before coming back and taking his hands in hers. "What's the matter?"

Damian looked into her eyes, and saw something resembling a flash in the clouds of her irises. "Nothing, I just…" He smiled. "… I wanna remember this moment."

Raven's face turned red as a smile spread across her face. "C'mon. I wanna show you something."

…

"Alright… we're here."

Damian looked back to find that, much to his surprise, Raven had taken him all the way outside the city limits. If it had been anyone else, Damian would have been vastly more reluctant to come so far out without knowing what exactly he was getting into… but of course, this wasn't anyone else. This was Raven. She was the moon that brought the tides of his soul into balance. For her, he'd travel around the world a thousand times over on naught but a rumor. So instead he found himself sitting under a lone pine tree at the edge of this frozen pond, covered in snow, watching his Raven dig around underneath the powder beside him, searching for something of great importance. Her sudden jump, followed by frantic digging, (which inadvertently covered him deeper in the snow) indicated that she had found what she was looking for.

"Kori brought me here my first winter on the team," Raven explained. "She made me promise I'd use these one day if it ever got cold enough for the pond to freeze over."

She turned to Damian and, after holding back a laugh at seeing him nearly covered in snow, handed him a pair of ice skates. "Here, put these on." Damian smiled, seeing something akin to excitement behind Raven's eyes, and did as she said while Raven pulled out her phone.

"Wait… let me grab something right quick," Raven said before melding into the shadows. Damian sighed, brushing the snow from his coat while he waited. Just as he shook the rest of the cold powder from his person, Raven reemerged from the shadows, this time holding what looked to be a wireless speaker.

"I'm sure Garfield won't mind if we borrow this." The mage girl winked, and set the speaker down on the root Damian had been sitting on before fiddling around with her phone for a moment.

"Ah, is see what you have in mind!" Damian exclaimed. "This oughta be interesting. What might you listen to?"

Raven smiled back at the boy as she set her phone down by the speaker and took to the ice.

"I just hope it's better than that awful stuff Tim listens to," Damian went on sarcastically. "That pounding electric nonsense just gives me a–"

Damian fell silent as the calming sounds of an acoustic guitar began to fill the air.

"I hope this is okay," Raven said as she slowed her glide around the pond, gracefully approaching Damian with her hand outstretched. "This one helps me get to sleep at night." Damian offered a look of contentment as he took her hand, joining her on the frozen pond.

There on their own little stage, Damian and Raven began their secret performance. Raven slid across the frozen pond with a grace and elegance Damian was unaccustomed to. Damian, while not quite as graceful, still managed to keep steady as he moved across the ice. After a few circles around the pond, the two began to throw little twirls and such into their motions, and slowly they began to move in unison with the music. As the woman on the other end of the speaker wove a melancholy tale of fast cars and starting over, Damian and Raven danced around one another on the pond, slowly coming closer together in the center of the ice. As the music began to build, the two began to glide faster, and their circles around their stage drew in tighter. By the time the music was nearing its climax, the pair had come to the very center, and wet now spinning around and around, hand-in-hand, and pulled each other into an embrace just as the song playing around them reached its peak, slowing their rotations down gradually as the soft, dulcet tones of the guitar brought the song to an end. As the couple slowly spun in the center of the pond, Damian looked into Raven's eyes with a look of adoration and bliss– something he'd never shown anyone before.

"Damian…" Raven's face turned a bright vermilion, her lips pulled into a bashful smile as she met her Damian's gaze. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Damian gently pressed his forehead to hers as the next song began, a man going on over the sound of his guitar strings about showing your loved ones affection. "I just…" he spoke just softly enough that she could hear him. "… I'm going to remember this evening."

…

Raven sat by the window in the livingroom of the Tower, looking out as the snow continued to fall upon the city. This night started out on such a low note; Damian had been crushed when he realized his father wouldn't be there to join them. But by the time the two of them came home, Raven knew it had been the happiest Damian had felt in years… possibly his entire life. Raven knew they were young, that they both had many years of growing to do. But this… Raven knew in her heart, this feeling was real. This feeling, being with Damian, the way her heart fluttered when she looked into his eyes… that was all she wanted. He was hers, and she was his, and she couldn't stop the way she felt for her Damian any more than she could stop her heart from beating.

"Raven," she heard Damian call from the hallway. She turned back to see him carrying several things into the livingroom; in one hand he carried a blanket, and in the other he dragged a large bean bag chair behind him.

"Jonathan shouldn't mind us borrowing this," Damian said with a wink. Raven let out a laugh as she rose to greet him. Damian paused for a moment, then slowly pulled a small package out of the blanket, wrapped in snowflake wrapping paper.

"I know it's a few days early, but…" Damian looked deep into Raven's eyes as he spoke. "I couldn't think of a better way to top off the evening you gave me."

"Damian, you don't have to get me anything," the girl smiled back at him, holding the present to her chest.

"Well, you gave me something wonderful last year." Damian smirked. "I have to get even, you understand."

Raven just smiled and shook her head, carefully tearing away the wrapping paper to reveal…

"… _what_ …?"

In Raven's hands was a handwritten letter in a frame. It showed signs of significant wear, but not necessarily from age. Raven held the letter carefully in her hands as she read it…

 _My sweet Damian,_

 _I pray that your father sees fit to give you this letter someday. We may very well never meet again, and I need you to hear these words._

 _It will always be a burden on my heart that we cannot all be together. I know that your father will never share my beliefs about the League. I will always uphold the ideals of your grandfather, and I will guide his people to his vision now that he is gone… but I realize now that, as hard as it is to admit, this is not the life I want for you. As a member of your grandfather's League, you would lose that which makes you even better than myself or your grandfather: your spirit. You are but a boy now, but someday, when you have learned well from your father, you will become what I can never be: hope. A man born of greatness, raised as a member of this world, able to give strength to those who have to strength left._

 _It breaks my heart to know that we fight on opposite sides, but I know that, no matter what time has in store for us, you will achieve wonders._

 _Stay strong, my son. I will love you always, to the very last beat of my heart._

 _Mother_

In the bottom-left corner of the frame accompanying the letter was a small photograph. In the photograph was a beautiful young woman with long brown hair and vivid jade eyes. She looked down at a baby in her arms, with his first tufts of black hair growing in. Raven would know the child's icy blue eyes anywhere… the baby was wrapped not in a blanket, but what Raven could very clearly see was the tattered remnants of a scalloped black cape.

"You shared a little bit about your mother with me last year…" Damian spoke gently as he placed a hand on Raven's shoulder. "… I wanted to return the favor."

Raven gently set the gift down on the floor beside the bean bag chair, before turning back to her Damian, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She threw her arms around his neck as her emotions overflowed, surrounding them again in a brilliant amethyst light. Damian held her tightly, both of them closing their eyes and feeling the other's presence complete them.

Slowly, as the two pulled each other in closer, they began to lean in. This was it; this was their moment. His knees trembling, Damian gently pressed his lips to hers…

All at once, the both of them felt a wave of passion course through their entire bodies. The brilliant light emanating from Raven came to life, erupting into flashes and sparks that illuminated the whole floor of the tower like…

 _Fireworks._

As they pulled slowly away, Damian and Raven both found themselves trembling uncontrollably. Everything about it was perfect. They locked eyes, both of them turning the deepest shade of scarlet, smiles of pure warmth and love on both of their faces.

As the clock on the wall displayed 1:30 in the morning, the young Titans agreed that it was time to call this day complete. After turning out the lights around them, Damian and Raven curled up together in the bean bag chair, sharing the blanket. Raven continued to gaze out the window as the snow continued to fall, until she glanced over to see her Damian smiling back at her.

"Are you going to remember?" Raven whispered, a gentle smile on her face.

"Raven…" Damian whispered in reply. "… to the very last beat of my heart… I'll never forget this feeling."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

 _January 3rd, 2018. 10:24 AM._

Damian stood on the edge of the roof of Titans Tower, looking out over the river. It was a new year again, although he didn't really acknowledge it the way everyone else did; everyone around him was making resolutions, parading around like the turning over of the date had triggered some profound change in their lives. Damian didn't buy into this notion. An arbitrary assignment of timekeeping couldn't cause any more of a change in a person's behavior than the relative alignment of the stars at the time of their birth. New Year's Day was nothing more than a sentiment crafted to comfort people who attributed misfortunes to the year in which they occurred.

The wind was so heavy on the roof, Damian almost didn't hear the air shift as Jonathan flew up to him from behind.

"Hey D!" the Kryptonian chirped as he lighted onto the roof beside Damian. "Sorry we couldn't make it back in before the snow hit. Did your Christmas turn out okay?"

Damian smiled, turning to his friend. "It did, actually. Raven and I had a really nice time."

Jon cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "Hold up… I thought you said your dad came by to visit. Didn't he?"

"He couldn't make it in either," Damian explained. "It ended up being just Raven and me."

"Ohhhh…" Jon crossed his arms and smirked. "So you had a _reeeeal_ good time, didn'tcha?"

Damian shook his head and chuckled. "Jonathan, please. You're thirteen, that's far too young for you to be so crass."

"I'm just jokin' with ya, man," Jon laughed as he pat Damian on the back. "But for real, did everything work out? What'd you two do while we were gone?"

"It was actually really nice," the older Titan looked back out over the river. "We just… spent time with one another. Walked, talked… went ice-skating…"

"You ice-skate?"

"I'm a quick study. Then we watched _It's A Wonderful Life_ , which I actually paid attention to this time… it was good."

Jonathan kept his eyes on Damian for a moment, then smiled. "… you really do love her, don't you?"

Damian nodded. "When I first became Robin, I was set in my grandfather's ways. I'd been groomed to lead humanity… but my father asked me something that I didn't really understand until much later. He asked me how I was supposed to lead humanity if I had never really been a part of it…"

Damian's eyes were filled with something that looked like hope. "Raven makes me better. She makes me more human. I may never be the leader Ra's al Ghul wanted me to be. But thanks to Raven, I can be so much more than that."

Jonathan put a hand on Damian's shoulder. "… you've grown a lot since I met you in that alley, y'know that?"

Damian looked back at the Superboy and smiled. "So have you, Jon."

Jon smiled back at Damian before turning to go back inside. Before he went back inside, he looked back over his shoulder and smirked. "… so how was it?"

"How was what?" Damian cocked an eyebrow.

Jon's smirk spread into a grin. "How was it when you kissed her?"

Damian paused for a moment, still smiling. "It felt… it felt like _freedom_. Like feeling the sun on your skin for the first time."

Jonathan smiled at Damian's response. That was… genuine. Real. This is what love looked like when it was first born. He turned and descended back into the Tower.

Raven sat suspended in the pair, perfectly still, deep in her meditation. She hadn't done it intentionally, but it had become a sort of custom to spend the first three days of each year in communion with the goddess Azar. Not direct communication, of course, because the only direct connection with the Mother of Azarath she had was the use of Her magic, which came as a holy gift to Azarath's people. But Raven made a point of honoring this blessing whenever she could. The gift of Azar was a privilege, not a right. One had to be chosen by Azar Herself in order to tap into Her spirit. The only person outside of Azarath she had ever known who had wielded the power of Azar had been Damian… and even then, Damian only used that power once to defeat her father. In all likelihood, Raven was the only Servant of Azar left. But it comforted her to know that Damian had felt Azar's touch. In a way, Raven liked to think it deepened their connection to one another.

" _Mother of Azarath, hear the words of Your servant…"_ Raven began her prayer. _"I offer You my eternal thanks for safeguarding my companions and I through our trials thus far. Thank You for bringing our new brother and sister into our fold. Their strength and light have given us all hope that we can continue to push back against the darkness that perverts the hearts of this world's people._

 _"Thank You for the blessing of Your power which You've given me. I pray that my heart is never tempted to misuse these gifts, and thus fall from Your grace. I ask that You embolden my heart to continue bringing Your light to this world, no matter how great the challenges I face become."_

Raven paused, taking a moment to collect herself.

" … _and… and I thank You for Damian's presence here. His heart is weary, but his spirit burns brighter and hotter than any I've met here. He's helped me to become more connected to this world and its people, and it was through him that the chains that bound me to my father were broken. He… he makes this world feel more like home. I implore You, please continue to watch over him, and allow this connection between him and I to grow further._

 _"Above all else, as always, I ask that You protect my brothers and sisters as we face the darkness ahead, if it be Your will. In all things, I will continue to press forward to be worthy of my place as Your Handmaiden, as my mother did before me."_

As Raven opened her eyes, a knock came on her door. There on the other side was Jon, who waved excitedly when Raven opened the door.

"Hey, Rae!" He grinned at the mage girl, who waved back smiling. "Hope I'm not interrupting. Mind if I come in?"

"Sure, come on in," Raven stepped to the side and waved the boy inside. Jon strolled in and sat down on the edge of her bed, and she closed the door behind him, before floating in and sitting cross-legged in the air across from him. "What's on your mind?"

"I wanted to say sorry about not being able to come back in time for Christmas. I heard the snow hit pretty hard," Jon said, holding his head up on his hands and propping his elbows up on his knees. "I heard it was just you and D here in the Tower."

"Yeah, Damian's dad couldn't make it either," Raven replied with a small nod. "But it was actually really great. Seeing the park in the snow was really interesting, and we just… we talked. We had a really good time."

"I heard you two went ice-skating!" Jon grinned with a wink. "That musta been a riot."

Raven let out a little laugh. "He was actually pretty good at it. We put on some of my music, and it was just… it was just really good."

Jon tilted his head to the side, his grin softening into a gentle half-smile. "Y'know, you seem a lot more open since you and Damian became a thing. Have you noticed that?"

Raven nodded. "I mean… I've always felt kind of lonely. Never really had anyone to talk to when everything sort of came down on me… but Damian knows what it's like. He's been through a lot of the same things I have. He makes me feel like I'm not so alone."

They sat in silence for a moment before Jon stood up to leave.

"So how did it feel?" The Kryptonian asked. Raven could tell he was asking about the kiss, and her cheeks began to turn red.

"… you know that feeling when it's pouring down rain outside, and you come in out of the cold and wrap up in a blanket by the fire?" She closed her eyes, still smiling as she thought back to that moment. "It was kind of like that… it made me feel safe. Like I was _home_."

Jonathan's eyes softened. It made him glad to see how much his friends grew with one another. He wrapped Raven in a hug before making his way out of her room.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

 _Sheldon Park, Gotham City. January 12th, 2018. 2:31 AM._

Bruce crouched down on a ledge overlooking the park, looking through his binoculars at the gathering of thugs below. Normally he would leave these lot to the likes of Jim and his men– he didn't tolerate their crimes, but they cropped up so often that even he couldn't handle all of them. But something was off about this group; people were going missing all across the Bowery, and each time it happened, this group gained another member. It seemed obvious that these people were likely running off to join this gang, but none of the missing persons had any sort of police record, nor did they demonstrate any sort of violent behaviors or personality traits common in people involved with gang activity. These people were all, for lack of a better word, passive people. Gentle folks, just trying to get by in Gotham. At first Bruce considered the possibility of mind-control, but the only one capable of control this extensive was Ivy. And he knew for a fact that she wasn't causing any trouble; thanks to a generous donation from Wayne Enterprises, Ivy's specialized holding cell in Arkham Asylum had been considerably improved. Ivy wouldn't be going anywhere. And besides that, Ivy's control was limited to men. Three of the missing people were women.

"So whaddya think, boss?" Carrie whispered from behind the Dark Knight. "Y'think these are your runaways?"

"Maybe…" Bruce growled quietly under his cowl. He was confident that Carrie was ready to join him on patrol; she was a gifted fighter, and she was just as bright as Dick was at her age. But still, he wanted to start small with her, just in case she turned out to need more time. Disappearances or not, street toughs were street toughs. Easy pickings. Kelley would be able to handle them. (Especially now that she'd finally taken his advice and wore a full costume.) "Either way, we're going to have to get our hands dirty tonight. Remember, you're going for knockouts, not injuries. We don't want any of these people in the hospital tonight, understand?"

"You got it, big guy," Robin grinned as she took hold of her cape, ready to launch into her glide.

With that, the duo leapt off their ledge, gliding toward the thugs below at considerable speeds. Just as one of them turned to shout out a warning, Bruce came down upon him, grabbing the man's shoulders and flipping them into the air before slamming them to the ground. A brief moment of hesitation gave Bruce time to turn on his heel and rocket towards the nearest thug.

" _Batman!_ " Another punk shouted as she reached for a pistol. This one was silenced by a pair of legs scissoring around her neck, as Robin brought her crashing to the grass. The Girl Wonder shoved off into the rest of the crooks, delivering a fierce kick to the back of one's head. He crumpled, and Batman and Robin pressed forward, dropping each thug as quickly and gently as they could. Four seconds later, there was only one thug left. Batman was on him almost instantly, tearing his face mask away to reveal the frenzied face of one of the missing persons.

"Why are you all here?" Batman growled, hoisting the thug up off his feet. "Who are you working for?"

" _B-b… b… Batman…_ " the man stammered, looking into the burning gaze of the masked man before him. " _A… ah, a-ah… D-d-d… d…_ "

Bruce's grip tightened. "Give me a name… now."

" _D… duhuhh…_ " slowly, quietly, the man began to giggle. " _Duheh… heheh heh heh… d, d…_ "

Batman' eyes widened.

" _Darrrrling._ "

Bruce tossed the man forward as fast as he could, just he began to emit a cloud of gas. The crook's giggle grew, becoming a cackle, then further into a loud, piercing laugh that sounded throughout the park. Bruce and Carrie quickly equipped their gas-masks as all the missing people around them began to fill the air around them with the same green gas. The two masked figures quickly grappled out of the cloud, perching on the same ledge from which they had jumped off before.

"Of course…" Bruce groaned. "He always comes back around at some point…"

Carrie paused for a moment, the realization slowly dawning on here. "… Joker is back, isn't he?"

Batman nodded. "You did good tonight, Robin. Head back to the Cave, I'll be there soon. I need to let the Commissioner know who's behind these disappearances."

"You…" The young Robin furrowed her brow as she looked up at her teacher. "… you seem a little freaked."

Bruce sighed. "Every time he comes around, Joker always tries something bigger than his last stunt. The last time we fought, I had to nearly destroy the Cave to stop him. I hate doing this, but… We're gonna need backup."

 _Titans Tower, Jump City. January 13th, 2018. 11:34 AM._

Damian looked across the counter at Raven, whose eyes intently scanned the pages of the book she had propped up against the countertop. He smiled as he watched her eyes sparkle as they danced back and forth across the page. He glanced at the cover to see what exactly it was she was reading, and smiled when he read the words A Tolkien Miscellany on the cover. Raven was quite fond of Tolkien's works, her favorite being Return of the King. He'd been looking for something he could give her for their… "anniversary" in the coming months, and believed he'd finally found the perfect gift: the brooch worn by Cate Blanchett in the 2001 film adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring. It had taken some serious doing, but he had it. He had never been fond of exchanging gifts, but for her… well, Damian found himself doing a lot of things for Raven that he'd never imagined himself doing.

Raven looked up from her book to see Damian smiling at her. Her pale grey cheeks turned the faintest shade of red as she smiled back at him, closing her book and gently sliding it to the side before bringing her hands together on the countertop. "How are you feeling, Damian?"

Damian gazed into her eyes, a familiar flutter in his heart. "In love. How are you feeling?"

Raven's smile spread wider, and she walked around the counter to wrap her arms around her Damian. He did the same, his arms sliding into place around her neck. Just about that time, Kori walked into the kitchen.

"Raven, Damian, team meeting. C'mon." The Tamaranean spoke quickly. The two followed their teacher into the livingroom, where Tara and Jaime were already waiting. Soon enough, Jon and Garfield emerged from their training and joined their friends gathered to hear what what Kori had to say.

"This morning, I received a message from Damian's father," Kori began. "There's a threat coming to Gotham and he needs our help."

"Why didn't he just call the Justice League?" Jaime asked. "They'd prob'ly be better help than we are."

"Most of the Justice League are off-world right now helping resolve an issue on Thanagar," Kori explained. "Batman has informed me that, including himself, there are only two Leaguers on the planet, and they'll both be waiting for us in Gotham."

"Any word on what we're up against?" Jon wiped his face with his sweat-rag and leaning against the couch.

"No…" Kori crossed her arms, furrowing her brow as she looked around. "But we have to help. And if Batman is calling on us for aid, that means he has confidence that we're strong enough to overcome whatever it that's waiting for us."

Damian nodded. "Alright, then. Everyone pack your bags, we're wheels-up in thirty."

As everyone rushed off to gather what they needed for the trip, Kori took Damian aside. "Damian, I need to know what we're up against," she whispered. "Do you have any idea?"

"That depends…" Damian crossed his arms as he thought, bringing a hand up to his chin. "Is it just one person causing the threat?"

"That's what he made it sound like," Kori said. Damian sighed.

"There have only been three villains in Gotham that could work up enough trouble on their own for Father to need outside reinforcements," the young Titan spoke grimly, "one of them is locked away in Santa Prisca, and one of them was my grandfather."

A single bead of sweat ran down Starfire's face as she looked down worriedly at the boy. "And the third…?"

Damian looked up at his teacher. "The clown is back."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

 _Wayne Manor, Gotham City. January 13th, 2018. 9:40 PM._

"Jeez, man! You used to LIVE here?"

Damian rubbed his temple as Garfield gushed about the foyer of the mansion. Honestly, it wasn't even the most expansive place Damian had ever taken residence in; the League temple where he'd been raised had been much larger, and stood for much longer than this place. Not to say that Wayne Manor was small, by any means, but Damian had certain standards of living. Life here in the Manor had been easy in comparison to life with the League, sure, but the League had shown him a different kind of respect. In Wayne Manor, he'd been treated as a son; in the League, he'd been hailed as a prince.

Regardless, it made sense that his friends would be at least mildly impressed by his father's estate. Jon grew up on a farm, Tara never had a real home, Jaime lived in a trailer, and Garfield… honestly, it didn't take much to impress Garfield. The only ones who didn't seem quite so blown away were Raven and Starfire, which made sense; Raven had grown up in some otherworldly Paradise, and Koriand'r was a princess.

"He did," Damian's father said with a smirk. "Only for three years, mind you, but this was Damian's home. Still is, should he ever need a place to stay."

"This place is _niiiice_ …" Tara's whole body seemed to wave as she nodded. "I think we can get used to crashing here for awhile!"

"Of course, Miss Markov," Alfred smiled as he gestured towards the main staircase. "You have the run of the mansion during your stay, of course. After you've all been debriefed, I'll show you all to your quarters."

"But first, we need to talk about what our assignment is," Kori stated, her arms crossed. "Mr. Wayne, why are we all here?"

"Have patience, Starfire," Bruce replied. "We'll discuss that in the Cave. Follow me."

"Wait…" Garfield paused. "Did he just say the Cave? As in, the Batcave? _The_ Batcave?" Bruce chuckled as he led the Titans into the study and through the hidden passage.

Already in the Batcave, two people clearly around the Titans' age were already in the training ring: the first was Carrie, dressed down in a t-shirt and jeans like a normal citizen. The other was a boy, about Jon's height, with black hair and blue eyes, wearing a red flannel with a yellow undershirt and blue jeans.

"Robin, Will," Bruce called out to the two, "these are the Teen Titans. We'll be working with them on this case."

"Coo'!" Carrie exclaimed, hopping out of the ring towards the group. "Good to finally work with somebody my own age!"

"Titans," Bruce looked back to the teenagers behind him, "this is Carrie Kelley, the new Robin. And over here…"

"Hey," the other boy called as he stepped out of the ring towards the others. "Will Batson, Justice League."

"Batson?" Damian crossed his arms. "I'm surprised you aren't on Thanagar with the others."

Will shrugged. "Guess I'm still too young to go off-world without a permission slip." He smirked as the words left his mouth. "So I get to join in on… whatever we're doing here."

"You're joking," Garfield crossed his arms as he grinned at Will. "Look, I'm not sayin' you're scrawny or anything, but you don't exactly look like Justice League material."

Will turned to the Changeling, a spark of electricity flashing in his eyes as he spread his feet to shoulder width, standing up straight.

" _ **Shazam.**_ "

The whole Cave was engulfed in a blinding light, and the sound of thunder crashed through the cavern. When the lights died back down, standing before the Titans was a tall, black haired man garbed on a red suit, a white thunderbolt on his chest. On his back was a white cloak with a gold trim, held around his neck by a gold chain.

"Do I look like League material now?" the man's voice was deep, and seemed to reverberate within itself.

"Titans, this is Captain Thunder," Bruce said with a smirk.

"Whooooa…" Jon marveled at the man standing before them. "You're as tall as my dad…"

"Wait a minute," Damian stuttered, "I thought your name was Shazam?"

"Didn't have enough punch behind it," Captain Thunder said as he crossed his arms. "'Captain Thunder' just sounds more imposing. Some crooks will give up at just a name, after all."

"Focus, Titans." Bruce's voice was gruff as he began to pull his armor undersheath onto his bare chest. "We need to discuss our assignment."

"About that…" Jon turned to the Batman, pausing as he realized they were almost the same height. "… uhhh, we're still a little shaky on the details. Who exactly are we up against? It's not Bane, is it? 'Cuz I mean, I guess I can probably handle him, but…"

"No, Jon. Bane's locked away in Santa Prisca right now while we reinforce his cell here at Arkham." Bruce pulled his uniform on slowly, a grim feel to his movements.

"Okay, so who is it then?" Terra tilted her head to the side as she looked at the older superhero. "I'm sure whoever it is, we can handle–"

"Oh…" Raven's voice was a whisper, but the weight behind it drew the attention of everyone in the room. "Oh God…"

Bruce's brow furrowed as he looked to the mage girl whilst sliding his cowl over his face.

"It's him, isn't it?" Raven stammered. "… it's Joker."

The whole Cave fell unnaturally silent.

"… yes."

Damian's eyes squinted as everyone stopped to process the situation. The Joker was one of the most unpredictable, dangerous, and flat-out feared beings on the planet. Every time he returned, it seemed like he struck back in a way more destructive than ever before. And now, Batman was calling on them–teenagers–for backup.

Because evidently, he was out of options.

 _Crank Co. Toys Factory, Amusement Mile._

Everything ounce of her being screamed out for Harley Quinn to get as far away from here as she possibly could. She knew how dangerous he was, and he probably already knew she was here. But that's exactly why she had to be here; nobody knew him like she knew him. Aside from maybe the Bat, there was nobody in the world who would be better suited to stop him before he could hurt anybody. And really, she felt she had to try. If somebody didn't bring him down, there's no telling who he'd come down on. She had to keep him from getting to anybody she cared about. Ivy, Lawton… and _especially_ Lucy.

These thoughts and more ran through Harley's head as she slid through the shadows deeper into the factory. She knew he was around here somewhere; he was always going on about how he wished he could take this joint from Bane's crew. But with Old El Paso locked up off in whatever hole they threw him in, the factory was crawling with thugs in clown masks toting AKs and S39s. With a reputation like his, Harley used to wonder how he managed to do business with any arms dealer in New Jersey. But after all the years she let him control her, she figured out exactly how he did it.

At last, she snuck into the Security office. Bigger than she expected it to be, with about a dozen screens lining the wall in front of the console, displaying a view of almost the entire factory. Harley noted that her path had taken her straight through a few of the cameras. But that didn't matter; there he was, pacing back and forth in front of the console. He would often send a decoy of some sort to throw off any attempts at preemptive strikes to take him down, but this was definitely him, Harley knew it. He was very, very careful not to reveal it to anyone, but he had a tell; a few years ago, the Police Commissioner shot him in the kneecaps, as some kind of payback for what he did to his daughter. He eventually recovered, but his right leg didn't quite heal right. It was barely noticeable, but she saw the slightest limp every time he took a step with his right foot. This was the real deal, alright.

Harley stood up straight, walked right up behind him, and held her pistol up to his head. Both of them stood unmoving for a moment, and a long rasp of air pushed its way out of his throat, and a low, ragged cackle began to fill the air around them as he slowly turned to face her.

" _Well well well…_ " the Joker's scarlet lips stretched out, his opaque flesh wrinkling as he grinned back at his former protege. "Welcome back, _honeybun_."

Harley scowled back at the lanky ghoul before her. "Puddin'."

Joker cocked an eyebrow as he lightly touched the barrel of Harley's gun with his index finger. "Y'know Harley, I'm kinda gettin' a bad vibe from you today," he hissed, never breaking eye contact with her. "It almost feels like you're not happy to see me!"

"Look, I ain't in the mood for your routine tonight, so let's just cut to it," Quinn said bluntly, her accent thickening with her disgust. "Whatever ya got planned, call it off. I ain't lettin' it happen."

Joker cackled again as he stepped around her slowly, her gun still aimed at his head. "Oh Harley… _Harley, Harley, Harley_. You're so _adorable_ when you're angry, y'know that?"

Harley's brow furrowed as she pressed the gun into his forehead. "I ain't playin' around here, Jay. Tell your boys to get outta here. I'll give ya two days to skip town, ya hear me?"

Joker's smile slightly retreated as he glared back at the woman. Harley pulled back the hammer with her thumb, the click as it locked into place solidifying her threat. His eyes began to squint as he took in a deep breath…

Harley felt the slightest prick on the back of her neck, and her eyes went wide. Gradually, her body began to feel weaker and weaker. She tried to squeeze the trigger, but found that her finger wouldn't move. The Joker's grin spread right back out as he gently took hold of the pistol, letting it slide of her hand as Harley fell to her knees, her head spinning.

"You didn't think I was about to let you walk in here and put one in me, now did you dear?" The clown's voice was dripping with condescension as he took a knee, holding Harley's pistol loosely in one hand. Harley slumped over, now unable to move at all. Joker pushed her onto her back, and a pair of bare feet stepped forward on either side of her head. Harley looked up to see a slim woman with short blond hair, wearing tight burgundy leather pants and a vest of the same, halfway unzipped to expose the extensive tattoos on her chest. Her forearms were covered with some light gauntlet, with a pair of long claws on each hand covering her first two fingers. Black paint was smeared across her eyes, and as she smirked down at Harley, a forked tongue slid across her lips.

"So sorry, _grupa_ ," the woman hissed. "But work is work."

"Excellent work, Miss Copperhead!" Joker smirked up at the assassin. "Keep this up, you might just be looking at a very pretty payday."

Copperhead winked at the green-haired creature before turning her attention back to the helpless woman lying before her. Her eyebrow raising just barely, she shifted her weight and slowly caressed her victim's face with her right foot, dragging her toes across Harley's lips and up over her eye. The assassin's forked tongue slipped out over her lips again as she turned, walking back into the shadows. Harley's eyes began to well up with tears as she knew there would be no escape; she should have listened to her gut instinct and ran away. But now here she was, unable to move anything but her eyes.

The Joker's grin extended out even farther. "You've been a very bad girl, Harley…" he growled as he began to pull the woman's top open. "… but don't worry… I know _just_ how you're going to make it up to me."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

 _Arkham Asylum, Gotham City. January 16th, 2018. 7:47 PM._

Batman and Gordon stepped through the reinforced doorway into the "holding cell". There in the center of the bunker was a titanic glass chamber – Poison Ivy's greenhouse. The whole thing had been Bruce's idea; if she were surrounded by her plants instead of tossed into a barren cell, perhaps she would be more cooperative. He was right. The greenhouse was mounted on a platform which rose up through a hatch in the ceiling until it was just overlooking the roof of the facility each day at noon, giving both Ivy and her beloved flora plenty of sunlight. Then once it came back down, a built-in irrigation system ensured that all the plants received adequate water, and an attendant brought a fresh bottle for Ivy herself… Ivy could just as well soak up the water from the irrigation system like everything else in the greenhouse, but it was easier and quicker for her to absorb water through her stomach like a regular human being. It would be more efficient if she would eat normal food as well. But for some time now, Ivy has declined any meals, in favor of photosynthesizing as her darling plants do. Of course, Bruce was sure to provide the highest quality soil and fertilizer available… but for some time, he suspected that the Asylum staff had begun giving her the bodies of any inmates who were killed during their time in the Asylum, and that she and her plants had also been feeding on their remains. This raised the question of whether her sentence should be extended on grounds of cannibalism, but Bruce was unsure of the technicalities of the situation… considering how, at this point, Ivy was just as much a plant as she was a human.

"She likes to block the cameras whenever she gets a visitor," Gordon grumbled. "We've told her over and over to keep her plants away from them, but she just likes to push our buttons. She's making progress, but…"

"It's alright, Jim." Batman put a hand on the Commissioner's shoulder. "Go ahead and turn the cameras off. Ms. Isley and I need to have a private conversation."

Jim turned to the caped figure beside him. "Is this about…"

Batman nodded solemnly. "Jeremiah has given clearance to turn her over to me until the clown is back in custody. Besides…" The masked man turned and looked at the older policeman beside him. "She deserves to know about Quinn."

Gordon nodded, gesturing for the men in the Security room to cut the camera feed. Once that was done, Batman stepped into the greenhouse, the steel door sealing shut behind him. Once he was certain no one could see into the glass chamber, he pressed a button on his left gauntlet, and his cowl separated into several pieces, which shifted down to his shoulders.

"Pam," Bruce called out. "It's just me. Nobody's watching, you can come on out."

Bruce walked further into the greenhouse's interior, looking around at the multitude of plants all around the chamber. Ivy had been very specific that she wanted the whole floor to be covered in soil, not separated into rows. She wanted her plants to be able to grow freely, not confined to some organization scheme concocted by man. As Bruce came to the center of the greenhouse, he stood before a rose the size of a large helipad. After all this time, all the incredible things he'd seen her create, Bruce still had difficulty wrapping his head around the fact that Ivy was able to grow a flower so massive. Slowly and gracefully, a plethora of vines wrapped around his limbs gently carrying him into the air as the rose began to blossom. He'd asked her about it before, how she manipulated the plants to do her will. Her explanation, while intimidating, was rather simple: once she contributed to the growth of a plant, it became connected to her nervous system, effectively making it an extension of her body. And when she created and grew something all on her own (like she'd done with everything in the chamber they were in), she could literally feel every inch of it, controlling it as if it were an additional limb. In essence, the massive garden she'd grown here was her body. Bruce was a foreign object in her body, but one she welcomed. After all, he'd been the one to provide her with this place to create her new body.

Gently, the vines carried Bruce into the enormous rose, where he slid down into the center of the flower. There, wrapped in the rose's pistils, was a beautiful red-haired woman. She was only around 5'7", but her body had a soft quality to it, her hips curving in a way that had captivated many a wandering eye. Her once peach skin was now a minty green, and her body was covered in several hundred leaves which concealed her more sensitive areas, but left her limbs, back, and belly mostly exposed, with a few small vines wrapping around her wrists and ankles. Her eyes were a pale blue not unlike his own, and her lips were a dark forest-green. As Bruce came to a stop before her, Pamela Isley's eyes softened, and she smiled as she walked through the stamens to him, wrapping her arms around him.

"Hello again, Bruce." Ivy's voice was soft, almost a whisper. "Thank you again for all of this."

"How are you doing, Pam?" Bruce put his arms around her as she pulled back to look into his eyes.

"I feel better now than I've felt in years." The villainess beamed up at him. "I've been getting along much better with the attendants as of late. I think I can really…"

Pam trailed off as she noticed the look in Bruce's eyes. "… something has happened. What's wrong?"

Bruce let out a sigh. "Harley has been missing for the last three days."

Ivy's face shifted to display her shock, which quickly turned into anger. All at once, the vines threw themselves around Bruce, this time gripping him like a vice. Ivy rose up on her own vines out of the flower, and carried the Batman over to an enormous Venus Flytrap which grew nearby, and quickly threw him into it.

"Listen to me, Bruce," Ivy shouted in a heated rage. "While I leave this place to go find her, you are going to stay right here. And if I find out you had _anything_ to do with _my_ Harley getting hurt, I swear I'm going to make sure you dissolve slowly, _for days_. And when you can't speak, but only cry out in your mind for death, _only then_ will I–"

" **Joker has her.** " Bruce shouted loud enough for Ivy to hear through the thick flesh of the carnivorous plant. Pam Ivy froze for a moment, then gently sent her vines into the flytrap, lifting Bruce back out and holding him up to eye-level.

"… please tell me it's not true…" Pam's voice trembled with fear. "The things he'll do to her…"

"That's why I need you to come with me," Bruce pleaded. "I know how much she means to you. Dr. Arkham has given his consent to let you come with me until Joker is captured. I need you to help me stop him."

Ivy nodded. "Of course I'll help you. I won't let anything happen to her."

 _East End, Gotham City. January 16th, 2018. 9:35 PM._

As Selina Kyle darted across the rooftops, her breath came out as a visible wisp of vapor in the frigid air. She'd heard the clown was back, so she figured it would only be a matter of time before someone – be it him, Bruce, or both – would be coming for her. She needed to be ready… which meant she should probably lock up back home before Joker got to her, because there were things in her apartment that needed to be kept safe until Bruce could get to them, and frankly, nobody knows whether or not they'll live through any given encounter with the Joker.

After making her way across half the district, Selina finally slid through her apartment window, letting out a sigh of relief as she shut it behind her. She quickly changed out of her Catsuit and strolled into her livingroom. She didn't turn on the light, but in the darkness she could see in her peripherals the shape of a figure standing in the corner, a cape draped over their body. She bent down to pick up a black kitten at her feet, stroking it gently.

"Well…" Selina spoke aloud to the mysterious guest. "I was expecting someone to show up here sooner or later, in light of what's happened. But… you're too short to be the Bat. Plus, that hair is a dead giveaway. You're no Batman."

"… Half." The figure stepped forward, and Selina turned to see Red X looking back at her.

"Oh. Hey Junior," Catwoman greeted the Titan casually, walking into the kitchen to find the kitten's mother.

Damian slid the mask off of his eyes, following her across the living space. "We have reason to believe that Joker has captured Harley Quinn. What the circumstances were that led to her capture are still unknown, but whatever he's planning needs to be stopped before she or anyone else get hurt. Father sent me to ask you to help us."

"Yeah, that much I figured out myself," Selina sighed, setting the little creature down to open the cupboard and retrieve a fully-grown black cat. "I just… look, I want to help. But whenever that freak comes back, he always comes for me sooner or later. Right now, I have to focus on not getting killed."

"I know," Damian went on, gently stroking the kitten's fur. "That's why Father also wants you to consider taking one of the rooms in the Manor."

Selina turned to the young Wayne, caught off-guard by his message. "Hold on… Bruce wants me to come stay with you?"

"Yes and no," Damian replied, lifting his hand away from the little feline as it began to feed from its mother. "It would only be until Joker has been apprehended, and you would be able to leave anytime, since Father is aware that you prefer to have your own space. He's also offered to let you stay in the Regency room, and actually recommends against taking a room in the guest wing, because that's where my team and I are staying…"

"I thought Bruce gave the Regency room to you?" Selina asked, her eyes on the two cats on the counter in front of her.

"He did. I finished moving out last March since I don't live in Gotham anymore." Damian leaned up against the counter as he turned his eyes back to the thief. "While I'm here, I'm staying in the guest wing with my team."

"Oh, that's right! Bruce told me you were with the Titans now," Selina looked back up at the boy with a sly smile on her face. "He also mentioned that you brought someone home with you to Thanksgiving last year. That right?"

Damian paused for a split second before looking away, a smile spreading across his face. "It is… Her name is Raven. She's… she's wonderful."

Selina's smirk turned into a grin. "You been usin' protection?" Damian's smile vanished as his face turned redder than the X on his chest.

"What? N– I would ne– we don't!" Damian straightened back up onto his feet, waving his hands spastically in front of him. "Miss Kyle, she and I aren't like that! I mean, I love her, and she loves me, but we aren't–" Selina couldn't help but laugh as she moved forwards, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Relax, I'm just kidding!" She said as her laughter died down. She then walked past the flustered Damian back into the living room. "But joking aside, it sounds like you two are pretty serious."

Damian took a beep breath to recollect himself. "We are," he sighed, turning and following Catwoman. "At the end of March, we'll have been together for a year. I wanted to do something special for her, so I got her this…" Damian reached into a pocket in his belt, pulling out a sizable wad of protective shipping paper, which he gently unwrapped to reveal the brooch. "… Also, I owe Father twelve thousand dollars."

Selina's eyes grew wide as she looked down at the gift. "My God, Damian! That thing is beautiful!"

"Thanks. I really hope she likes it…" Damian carefully wrapped the brooch back into the packing paper before slipping it back into his belt.

"LIKE it?" The woman threw her eyebrows up in astonishment. "Dame, she's gonna lose it when you give her that thing!"

Damian couldn't help but grin at that. He could hardly wait to see the look on her face when he gave it to her. March 30th couldn't get here soon enough.

"Okay, okay, back to what you were saying earlier…" Selina paused for a moment before nodding her head. "I'll do it. Until we deal with Joker, I'll come stay in the mansion."

"That's great to hear," Damian said, regaining his composure. "I have a bike parked downstairs. How soon can you be ready to go?"

"I always have a go-bag ready. Just give me a couple minutes to grab some more clothes." Selina walked off to her bedroom, and Damian ran a gloved hand through his hair, turning to look out the window. He could just barely make out the bird with black feathers perched on the other side of the glass, which looked like a little piece of the night sky. He smiled contently at the bird, his mind adrift with thoughts of his own Raven… he'd been thinking a lot about where his life was headed since Richard and Barbara's big announcement at Thanksgiving. He'd thought up dozens of different potential lives he could lead; in one he became Batman, and in another he remained Red X. In one he returned to Gotham, and in another he stayed in Jump City. In one he joined the Justice League, and in another he stayed on as leader of a new generation of Titans. There was even a scenario that saw him hang his cape up for good, settling into a life at the head of his father's company.

But in every single version of his future that Damian could conjure up in his mind, there was a single constant. One thing that remained the same in every life Damian could possibly picture himself living. Raven. No matter what Damian was going to do with his life, he knew that he needed Raven to be there. It was that moment that Damian realized that this was more than just affection. This was devotion. Undeniable, insurmountable devotion. As the realization came to him, along with it came the urge to personify this dedication, perform some sort of action to display it to her, and to everyone around… and he smiled as a new thought sparked in his mind.

This was the first time that Damian Wayne ever gave consideration to the idea of marriage.

As the bird outside the window flapped it's wings and took off into the sky over the city, Damian turned to see Selina, now in her Catwoman uniform, with a duffle bag slung over her shoulder. They exchanged nods, Damian opened the window, and the two of them climbed out, shutting the window behind them and descending to the street below.

 _Wayne Manor, Gotham City. January 16th, 2018. 11:44 PM._

Raven shuffled out of the bathroom, her eyelids heavy, and crawled under the covers into the king-size bed. It had been an eventful day; combat training this morning had been far more intense than it was back home in Jump City. Then again, it was the Batman she had been training with today, so a more intensive regimen was to be expected. For a brief moment, Raven began to wonder how Damian managed to endure the physical and mental strain of training with his father for three whole years. But as soon as the thought entered her head, she remembered: Damian had been trained to be the pinnacle of non-powered human capability practically from the moment he learned how to stand on his own two feet. If anything, training someone as well-bred as Damian would have been a difficult task for Bruce. But then, one would be left to wonder how Bruce managed to keep teaching the boy for three years.

After morning training (and an hour of recovering from said training), Raven accompanied Mr. Pennyworth on a little "tour" of the mansion. She was the only one who had both the interest and energy by that time, so it was really just her following along by herself as he told her about the history of the house, as well as the occasional stories about each of the children the butler had helped raise in it; drawings done by Bruce when he was a child prior to his parents' deaths, Dick almost destroying a $30,000 chandelier when he used it to practice his acrobatics, teaching Jason how to change the oil in a car, and one particular story of having to perform surgery on Tim after, of all things, Damian beat the older Robin half to death on his first night in Gotham. Raven wasn't sure whether to be concerned or amused; Damian was certainly not the same person now that he'd been then.

Eventually she and Alfred reached the library, and after agreeing that they'd done enough walking for awhile, the they each took a book off the seemingly endless shelves, sat down, and read quietly. Alfred has chosen a collection of Shakespeare, whereas Raven found herself pouring over _The Silmarillion_. Of course, their reading time was cut short, as Carrie came to bring the mage girl back to the Batcave to discuss their assignments for the afternoon. Alfred offered to take the book Raven had picked out to her room for her so that she could pick it back up later, and Raven smiled as she glanced over at the little bedside table to see it lying there, a bookmark reserving the page she had stopped on.

Ironically enough, Raven's actual assignment had been easier than morning training; she had been sent to Park Row to inform Red Hood that the Joker was back. While it had taken her a bit longer than she would have liked to track him down, Raven eventually found Jason and delivered Bruce's message. Bruce had told her that, in all likelihood, Jason would agree to help, but refuse to come stay in the Manor. Apparently things were still strained between the two of them (although not so strained that Todd would refuse to come home for Thanksgiving). But to Raven's surprise, Todd accepted the offer to stay with them until Joker was stopped. She and Hood came back to the Cave, and that had been it. But when they arrived, Bruce proposed another round of combat training, this time pitting Raven against Todd. Raven noted that, while he wasn't quite as disciplined as Bruce was, Jason's fighting style was far more aggressive and, in its own way, more challenging than sparring with Bruce. Of course, both training sessions had been trying for her, due to the fact that Batman had insisted she fight without the use of her magic. Raven had picked up some basic martial arts from Damian, but not nearly enough to go head-to-head with the most dangerous man on Earth, or even his wild ex-protégé. By the time they were done, it took every modicum of her mental fortitude just to keep from collapsing in the ring.

Just as she had gotten to the point where she could ignore the aching in her muscles enough to drift towards sleep, the sound of knocking on her door brought Raven swiftly back to full consciousness. She nearly reached out and opened the door with her powers, but then realized that, one: using the blessing of Azar for such an insignificant task, while not seen as an offense by the goddess, was something that Raven personally was uncomfortable with doing too often, and two: Raven couldn't let anyone in her room at the moment, because she wasn't even dressed; she would have been lying there in front of whoever needed to see her wearing nothing but her underwear. Of course, this meant she was going to have to get back out of bed, which in itself was disappointing.

"Gimme a second," Raven called out, dragging herself out of the bed and back into the bathroom. After slipping on a yellow tanktop and dark blue sweatpants, Raven stumbled over to the door and pulled it open. Before she could even greet him properly, Damian stepped through the doorway, pulling the door shut with his foot behind him as he put his arms around her waist and pulled her into a kiss. A sudden burst of bright purple light filled the room as Raven closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around his neck and unintentionally lifting the two of them up off the ground. But just as the pulled away from each other, the overwhelming soreness covering Raven's body lurched to the forefront of her mind, and the two of them dropped to the floor, Damian reacting quick enough to catch the girl before she could topple to the floor.

"Easy now, easy. Where does it hurt?" Damian had gotten quite good at reading Raven's facial expressions, which was useful for situations when it was important to maintain silence, or when Raven was too worn out to communicate telepathically. He lifted the girl gently off her feet and carried her back to her bed, laying her horizontally across it.

Raven looked up at Damian, her eyes radiating gratitude and affection, albeit through a wall of pain. "Everywhere…" she groaned. "Had to spar with your dad and brother… not so easy without my powers. Too worn out to heal myself…" She turned away, frustrated that she allowed herself to become so vulnerable. "Sorry…"

Damian brushed a few stray strands of hair out of her face, looking down at her with a soft smile. "Don't be sorry," he whispered, moving his hand down to her cheek. "Everything is alright."

Damian walked around the bed and carefully slipped his fingers into place on either side of Raven's neck, and began to gently work at the exhausted muscles beneath her pale skin. Raven looked up at him, the clouds in her irises swirling and billowing, showing the faintest beams of light from behind them, as he gradually moved his hand down to her shoulders. As he began to tenderly knead the tense muscles in her trapezia and her shoulder blades, Raven's head gradually titled back, her eyes drifting shut as the aching slowly dissipated under Damian's hands. Damian continued to work his fingers delicately into her back, and felt a wave of relief wash over him as he heard a thick sigh slip past her lips. Taking care not to aggravate any areas he hadn't gotten to yet, he slowly lifted Raven to an upright position, and began treating her middle and lower back. Raven's breathing became slower and less-labored, and her mind gradually cleared up. Smiling, she lifted a finger on her left hand, and Damian slowly rose into the air, covered in the shadows cast by her magic on the very air around him. She sat him down gently in front of her on the bed, and then closed her eyes and began to display a subtle amethyst glow as she healed the rest of her body. It took only a moment, and the light faded from around her; Raven's skills as a healer had grown exponentially since Damian first experienced her restorative powers.

"Tomorrow I'll be here all day. I'll come wake you up in the morning." Damian smiled as he started to turn, meaning to climb out of the bed, but Raven took his hand before he could touch his feet to the ground.

"Hold on a second…" Raven slid towards the young Wayne, a tough of curiosity in her eyes. "When you kissed me, I felt something… there's something different in your heart. What is it?"

Damian looked back silently at the girl for a moment, smiling as he tried to construct a sentence that adequately expressed what he was feeling.

"… I've been thinking lately. About you and me. About where this is all headed." Damian paused, still struggling to find the words. "Y'know… years from now. Decades."

Raven looked into Damian's eyes, tilting her head forward just barely as she waited for Damian to continue.

"I… I don't have any idea where my life is going. I don't know if I'll ever leave the Titans, I don't know if I'll ever take my father's place… I don't even know if I'll keep being a hero at all." Damian looked down at Raven's hand, still holding onto his. "… but I know that… I know that I want to be with you for all of it. I… I need to be with you. For the rest of my life, I need to be with you."

After a moment of taking in Damian's words, Raven's expression shifted to one that gave off an overwhelming sense of endearment. Sliding in closer, the young half-demon pressed her lips to his again, running a hand through his hair with her other arm around his neck. Damian's hands shifted as well, his right hand holding him upright as his left came to rest on Raven's thigh. As the two of them lost themselves in one another's presence, the air around them seemed to shimmer, as the tiniest purple lights began to swirl around them like stars in the night sky. Ever so slowly, Raven began to guide her Damian back into the bed, until by the time that they pulled away, he was lying on his back, looking up at her loving face with a myriad of twinkling lights all around them.

"If forever is what you want…" Raven spoke softly. "Then forever is what you have."

Damian's cheeks burned as they turned a bright scarlet, a subtle smile forming on his lips. After a moment of looking into one another's eyes, he sat up with the intent to leave for his own room, but Raven put a hand to his chest to to stop him.

"Stay," the girl urged quietly. "I don't want to do anything yet, but… sleep here tonight. Hold me, like you did in the Tower this Christmas. Let me wake up in your arms tomorrow… lay here with me, just for tonight."

Damian smiled, touching his forehead to hers. "I would lay beside you forever if you asked me to."

Raven and Damian slept in one another's arms that night. During their slumber, Raven's magic flowed freely from her to him, and from him to her. It carried with it bits from each of their dreams, which drifted from one person's mind into the other's. Among several other things that passed between their minds in the night, one thought that repeated itself throughout their dreams stood out above all else: a single line of a song, sung clear and soft in the voice of Raven's mother…

" _Seasons may change, winter to spring… but I love you, 'till end of time."_


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

 _Wayne Manor, Gotham City. January 17th, 2018. 7:29 AM._

As the faintest beams of sunlight broke through her window, Raven's eyelashes fluttered for a moment as she gradually stirred awake. The second she was alert enough to notice, a loving smile settled on her face as she felt Damian in her arms, still fast asleep with his face nestled into the crook of her neck. Careful not to wake him, Raven pulled the boy in closer, gently holding him against her. In his sleep, Damian slipped his arms around her waist and let out a sigh, making Raven blush just enough to notice. Briefly, there in the quiet of the morning, everything was perfect…

Unfortunately, Raven knew full well that the sun wouldn't be out yet if the two of them had woken up on time. They must have slept in at least an hour by now. For a long time, Raven tried to decide whether or not she would wake him up and get started on their day, or close her eyes and go back to sleep… or maybe she would just lay here and drink in this perfect moment. After silent deliberation, she decided on the latter… but she elected that she should at the very least give Damian the opportunity to enjoy it with her. Slowly, Raven shifted Damian's head up onto his pillow and began to gently kiss his cheek. As she continued pressing her lips into his face, Damian's eyes slowly crept open, and as his vision came into focus, his pale blue eyes looked up to see the beautiful opaque-skinned mage looking down lovingly at him, her long black hair hanging messily down over her shoulder. He smiled as he felt her arms around him, and he took a deep breath, the smell of her hair awakening his senses and filling him with vitality as he pulled her closer, holding his face up to her chest. His cheeks turned red as he felt her slow heart beat begin to speed up.

"Morning, baby," Raven whispered, holding his head to her chest as her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red.

"Baby?" Damian's smile shifted from content to sly as he cocked an eyebrow. "That's a new one. I think I like it." Raven shook her head and let out a soft laugh in her throat as Damian began to cover her chest in kisses.

Still laughing quietly, Raven rolled Damian onto his back and climbed on top of him, holding herself up on her arms as she looked down at him adoringly. "You're a dork."

"See, that one I recognize," Damian croaked, his voice still waking up. "So what's the deal? I see we already overslept, we gonna get going?"

"Actually…" the ebony-haired girl started absently playing with Damian's hair as she spoke. "I was thinking we could stay in a while longer. Enjoy the quiet, talk for a little bit… just take in the morning. What do you think?"

Damian bent forward, applying another kiss to Raven's shoulder. "That's the best idea I've heard all day." Raven smirked at Damian's joke, lowering herself down completely onto him and sliding her arms around his neck as she brought their lips together for a moment, a series of small purple sparks flashing around them as they kissed. Damian pulled himself up to a seated position and resting his hands on Raven's hips as she sat up in his lap, her legs coming down on either side of him with her arms draped over his shoulders.

"So I have something I've been wondering…" Damian looked into Raven's eyes curiously. "You said _It's a Wonderful Life_ is one of your favorite movies. Are you partial to old black-and-white movies, or do you just love that one in particular because it's a good movie?"

"I do like older movies, yeah." Raven's head bobbed about slightly as she thought through her response. "But not necessarily the black-and-white ones. My favorite movie is _The Breakfast Club_."

"I actually don't know if I've seen that one before," Damian replied.

"We'll have to watch it when we get back to the Tower," Raven mused. "I think you'll like it."

"Why wait until we get back?" Damian asked. "There's a great home theatre here in the Manor, and I'm sure Father has a copy of it somewhere around here."

"Well if we ever get another moment to ourselves, let's do it," Raven laughed, and Damian smiled as he looked down to take note of her sleepwear.

Raven, not realizing what Damian was doing when his eyes ran down her body, found herself growing flustered. "D… Damian, what are you looking at?"

"Y'know, I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this before, but lighter colors really suit you…" Damian trailed off as he looked up to see the confusion on Raven's face, and it took him a second to realize what she was thinking. " _Oh!_ Oh no, no no no no no, I wasn't looking at your, ah, no."

"No, no, it's fine!" Raven looked away, her face turning a bright ruby red. "I just, y'know, didn't realize what you were… yeah…" The two of them laughed awkwardly as Raven slipped down from Damian's lap to his side, and Damian's eyes looked down at the foot of the bed, his own cheeks blushing profusely.

"… y'know, all things considered, it's a little ridiculous that we still get embarrassed over stuff like that." Raven turned back to Damian, a smirk forming on her face. "I mean… if you really think about it."

"Hmm… well, we DID technically just sleep together…" Damian contemplated. "Not in the colloquial sense of the term, but in the literal sense…"

" _Right_?" The purple-eyed girl chirped. "We're clearly attracted to one another, why should we get so shy about pointing it out?"

Damian and Raven stared at each other for a moment, their faces gradually growing redder and redder.

"… Yeah, I'm too nervous." Damian said bluntly.

"Yup, me too." Raven replied before grabbing her pillow and burying her face in it. Damian couldn't help but laugh a little.

"I don't get it!" Damian joked. "We've already declared our undying love for one another, why is it so hard to be like 'gee Raven, you've got a really cute butt' or whatever!"

"I know! It really shouldn't be that… Wait," Raven paused as she realized the words that just came out of Damian's mouth. "I have a cute _what_?"

Damian's eyes widened as he froze. "Umm…" all at once, Damian began to crawl out from under the covers. "Well, we sure are running late, we should probably–"

Raven threw her arms around the boy to keep him from getting up, failing to stifle her laughter. "No, no, It's okay Damian! C'mere, that was really sweet!" the young witch-girl cooed as she pulled her Damian back onto the bed.

"I didn't say anything…" Damian let out a groan of sheer embarrassment as Raven pulled him back into her arms. He buried his face in her neck, practically steaming.

"Noooo, it was so sweet! C'mon, don't be embarrassed, it was cute!" Raven giggled as she rocked the young Wayne back and forth. In her fit of laughter, she had gotten past her initial nervousness, and found what Damian said to be incredibly endearing. Of course she knew he loved her, and nothing in the entire world felt better than that, but to receive confirmation of his physical attraction to her was just elating.

Suddenly, an impish grin spread across Raven's face. "Oh, I know what I'm gonna do now…" she teased as she moved a hand to Damian's chest.

"… no," Damian stammered in horror as he realized what she was scheming. "No no no, Raven, don't you do it, _I'm serious_ –"

The two of them started glowing with the familiar purple light as Raven reached into Damian's heart, peeking into his thoughts.

"Aww, Damian!" Raven gushed to her Damian. "You only came with Jon to watch the movie to see me!" She kept digging, searching specifically for thoughts regarding her.

"Raven, I'm serious, I need you to stop–"

"You actually thought I cast a spell on you to make your heart pound around me? Oh my god, you were so clueless!"

"Raven, there is stuff in there that you don't–"

"Wait, you started being more polite to Mr. Pennyworth because of me? Damian, what sense does that make?"

"Raven, _please_ , you're gonna–"

"Ooh, something from last night? What do we have here…"

" **Raven, please!** "

Raven quickly jerked her hand back, the aura around them dissipating almost instantly. Her mouth hung open in surprise, her eyes wide and locked onto Damian. The two of them remained silent for a few seconds.

"… show it to me."

Damian was completely stunned. For a moment, he couldn't move; he thought that it was all coming to an end. But despite every ounce of him screaming out for him to beg her to forget that she saw, Damian could never deny Raven anything. Slowly, Damian reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small black box. Unable to look her in the eyes, Damian stared down at it as he slowly pulled it open.

Inside the box was a diamond ring.

"… This was the ring my grandfather Thomas gave to my grandmother Martha when he proposed to her…" Damian's voice was low and shaky. "My father has been holding onto it since they died, waiting for someone to pass it on to. And last night…" He swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat. "… last night, he passed it on to me… so that someday I could give it to you."

Raven stared down at the ring, then looked back up at the boy. "Damian…" She slowly brought a hand over her heart. "Damian, I…"

"It was never supposed to be this soon, Raven…" Damian kept his eyes down at the heirloom in his hand. "I'm not asking you to take this now… I'm sorry it came out like this."

"Damian, please look at me."

Damian slowly raised his head, revealing the tears forming in his eyes.

"… Someday. I don't know when, but someday down the line… yes. Until then, take good care of this ring, Damian."

Damian smiled weakly back at his Raven as the tears began to stream down his face, snapping the box shut. "I will… I promise."

Tears began to well up in Raven's eyes as well, and she moved in close to her Damian, holding her forehead gently against his as she brought her hands together over the box. As the stress between them built up, Raven's shadow began to spread through the whole room, even dimming the light coming through the window. But as they sat together, focusing on one another's essence, the shadow retreated back to its original state.

"… Hey, Damian?" Raven whispered.

"Yes, Raven?"

"Can… can I look for one more thing?"

Damian smiled, thumping on his chest as he looked into Raven's eyes. "Go ahead. No more secrets, it's yours anyway."

Raven cheeks bore a twinge of red as she leaned forward and kissed him, the sunlight coming in from the window adopting a purple hue for a moment. As Raven pulled back and the light returned to normal, she gently placed a hand on Damian's chest, her hand emanating an amethystine glow as she reached back into Damian's heart.

"I just have to know… of all your memories, which one stuck with you the most…?"

Damian knew the answer to that immediately. As he thought back on it, the moment played itself in both of their minds…

" _I guess neither of our lives are very funny…"_

Raven lifted her head slightly as she recognized her own voice.

 _"But I'll tell you something about yourself that not even you know… You may be insufferable, but in your heart… You are a kind and generous soul."_

Raven looked back at her Damian, who met her gaze with those icy blue eyes of his. She hadn't realized how… impactful her words had been.

"Why…"

Damian sighed as he took her hand. "Because until that point, all I ever was to anybody was either Ra's al Ghul's grandson, Bruce Wayne's son, or Robin. Father tried to establish some kind of personal connection, but it just wouldn't happen. I was so devalued that I sort of… well, I didn't think of myself as a person anymore. There was no value to my being Damian. That mentality stuck with me for thirteen years, and then… you happened. You were the first person to ever tell Damian – not the al Ghul, not the Wayne, not the Boy Wonder, but DAMIAN – that he had value. That he was someone… That he meant something."

Raven fell quiet for a few seconds. She then took his hand in both of hers, and looked into his eyes, all the way through to his soul.

"You don't just mean something, Damian." Raven's voice echoed throughout Damian's mind. "To me, you mean everything."

Damian stared back into Raven's eyes, noticing the light shining through the rolling clouds in her irises, and smiled. He pulled her closer, and the two of them laid back in the bed, closing their eyes.

"… So you think it's cute, hmm?"

"… Yeah, it's cute."

 _The Batcave, Gotham City. January 17th, 2018. 12:23 PM._

Damian and Raven walked quietly into the Cave, dressed in their full uniforms, trying their best not to attract any unwanted attention. They were supposed to have shown up six hours ago (which is bizarre, because usually the both of them are wide awake by 5 AM), and when it comes to Bruce Wayne, anything less than absolute punctuality is unacceptable. Damian specifically recalled one evening being late to training because he had to wash Titus. Bruce made him go on patrol armed with nothing but a fork. Literally just a fork. From the kitchen. But from the looks of it, the Cave was empty, so if they could just get across the Cave to the Batcomputer and figure out their assignments…

From seemingly out of thin air, a grand silhouette dropped to the ground in front of them. Raven called out for a split second in surprise, and Damian groaned loudly as the figure rose to his feet, his scalloped cape billowing behind him.

"Six hours," the Batman growled through his teeth. "You two had best have a good reason for being this late."

"Actually we do, sir…" Raven mumbled, her eyes to the floor. "… I know I wasn't supposed to know about it, but… I found the ring this morning, and I had to talk to Damian about it."

"Not for six hours, you didn't," the older caped figure crossed his arms and scowled at the two Titans. "Fortunately, I've used those six hours to arrange your make-up training."

"Make-up training…?" The mage girl asked nervously, keeping her eyes down out of nervousness.

"That's right," Batman said, nodding back towards the combat ring. " **Ring. Both of you. Now.** "

"Father, please," Damian pleaded. "It's not Raven's fault we were late, it was–"

Bruce leaned in, mere inches from Damian's face. "Last I checked, it takes two people to sleep together."

Damian's eyes widened as his brow furrowed. "Why, you _sick hypocritical_ _ **son of a–**_ "

Raven took Damian's arm, encouraging him to calm down. "Damian, arguing isn't going to help us here. Let's just do what he says." Damian's gradually regained his composure, and the two teenagers walked into the training ring.

"Here's what's about to happen," the Batman began. "You two are going to spar. No weapons, no powers. Just hand-to-hand combat. First one to fall out of the ring, lose consciousness, or be rendered unable to continue loses."

"Okay, but what's the catch?" Damian crossed his arms and looked down at his father skeptically. "I know you. You're not just throwing us against each other and that be the end of it. What's your game?"

"I'm glad you picked up on that," Bruce said, snapping his fingers. A loud cacophony of mechanical sounds reverberated throughout the Cave as the hatch to the Batmobile's standby chamber opened up. But instead of a car rising up out of the hole, out flew, of all people, Jon.

… Only, Jon certainly didn't look like himself. Around his head was some kind of metal band or apparatus, and he wore some king of high-tech gloves. But more confusing than his accessories was his demeanor; fists clenched, chest out, brow furrowed, head low, eyes glowing… this didn't look like Jon. This looked like a _murderer_.

Damian clenched his fists at the sight of his friend in this condition. He turned to Bruce, bearing down on him with a glare that would reduce a lesser man to a weeping infant. "What in God's name have you done…?"

"Calm yourself, Damian," Bruce replied nonchalantly. "The neural band around his head allows me to adjust his level of aggressiveness and to designate his target. The gloves are there to monitor his strength and speed. The rest is just the effects of dialing up his aggression."

"So what," Raven barked, struggling to contain her anger. "The loser has to fight Jon or something?"

"That'd be too easy. Neither of you would want to fight, and then we'd be getting nowhere. No…" Batman stepped back away from the ring. "… the winner has to fight Jon. I'll allow the use of your powers if you win, Raven. And if you win, Damian, we'll be testing the _armor_."

Raven turned to Damian, confused. "What armor? What's he talking about?"

"It's an armored version of the Red X suit crafted from some of the strongest metals in the galaxy, forged in the sun by Superman, equipped with the same caliber of on-board computer systems that keep Cyborg running. It was designed to allow me to confront situations and forces beyond the limits of a normal human. However, extended use of the suit will drain my metabolism, and if I remain in the suit for too long, I'll die." Damian was disgusted by the idea of relying on it, but there was no apparent alternative. "Father has one of his own, calls it the 'Hellbat' armor." The Titan grit his teeth as he spoke. "I call mine an unnecessary risk."

"Yeah, that's NOT happening," Raven shouted, the whole Cave growing darker and darker as her anger swelled. "That thing could kill him. I'm not going to stand by and let you force my closest friend to risk getting himself killed, and YOU shouldn't even be considering doing something that cruel to your own son!"

"If you don't want him using the armor, then take him down." Bruce glared up at the witch-girl. "Your fight starts now."

"No! No it does NOT 'start now'! We aren't doing this, you understand!? We are not–"

Before Raven could finish her tirade, Damian rushed forward, scooping her up and gently tossing her, back onto her feet, outside the ring.

"There," Damian grumbled. "I win. Let's get this over with."

Raven blinked for a moment, processing what just happened. "Wait… wait, no. No no no, _stop_! _Stop_ it, _you can't do this!_ " Raven threw herself at the Batman, who quickly stepped aside and opened the glass display case housing Damian's armor. The younger Wayne reluctantly stepped out of the ring and approached it.

"Mr. Wayne, _please_! Please, _I'm begging you!_ " Raven fell to her knees, tears forming in her eyes as she cried out for mercy. "Azar's sake, _please stop this!_ Don't make him go out there, _please…_ " the girl bent down, her trembling arms barely managing to hold her up. _"Please, don't do this… I… I…"_

Bruce let out a long sigh. "… Jon. That's enough, you can drop the act."

On cue, the furious, growling, bloodthirsty son of Superman instantly disappeared, leaving the familiar relaxed Jonathan Kent in his place. Damian let out a sigh of his own, quickly realizing what was going on. Raven, on the other hand, was completely confused.

"W… what the…. what did you do? Why is–"

"Raven. Damian." Jon spoke calmly but sternly, a concerned look upon his face. "Do you understand why we set this all up?"

"I understand," Red X nodded humbly. He then turned and made his way over to Raven, who was still on her knees, trying to look past her hysteria to understand the situation.

"… I don't get it… why put us through so much stress?"

"What you just experienced was the beginning of a scenario in which you, as participants, have a less than .5% chance of survival," Bruce explained. "Had the two of them actually fought, between the heavy energy consumption required by the armor to hold its own against a Kryptonian, the immense strain that said energy consumption would have put on Damian's body, and the fact that picking a fight with a Kryptonian in general is understood to be an enormous gamble on one's life, Damian's odds of survival were actually less than .1%. Had this been a real fight, I would have had to bury my son again today."

As Raven rose to her feet, she still didn't understand. "What's the significance of that?"

Bruce turned to the black-haired girl, a glum look on his face. "Every single confrontation with the Joker is well beneath a .5% chance of survival. He has no inhibitions, no regard for human life, and seemingly no limit to his resources. Unless you prepare as much as you possibly can, he'll carve you into pieces.

"Look, Raven… I know I can be overbearing at times. But the only reason I push any of you as hard as I do is because I want you all to be ready. I've lost children before, and I don't want to lose another one ever again. Not if I can prevent it. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Raven paused for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Yes sir… I understand."

"Good…" Bruce slid his cowl off, putting a hand on Damian's shoulder. "You three are done for the day, head back into the house. I need the Cave to myself for tonight."

"Thank you, Father," Damian said calmly, taking Raven's hand and making for the stairway.

"Oh, and Raven! One more thing…" Bruce looked at the mage girl with an expression that spoke of weariness intertwined with satisfaction. "… I hope someday that ring means as much to you as it meant to my mother."

Raven looked back at the older Wayne, looking into his icy blue eyes – the same as Damian's – and smiled. "It already does, Mr. Wayne." Raven turned her head back forward, and she and Damian ascended the stairway into the Manor, with Jon following close behind.

As the three Titans left the Cave, Bruce turned to see Alfred standing off to the side, one eyebrow raised.

"Alfred? How long have you been there?" Bruce blinked deliberately several times out of surprise.

The butler's brow slowly furrowed. "Long enough to watch you break that girl in half, Master Bruce."

Bruce sighed, raising a hand. "Look, I know that was a little extreme–"

"Master Bruce, I'm afraid you aren't fully aware of the situation," Alfred interrupted. "I've spoken with Miss Roth at length regarding her relationship with Master Damian, and the bond that they've developed is much deeper than it appears."

"Alfred, come on," Bruce protested. "I'm letting Damian give her Mom's engagement ring. I just gave them my blessing to get married. That's a lot of room to give a fifteen- and sixteen-year-old. What more do I have to do for them?"

"The may have your blessing, yes. But the circumstances surrounding their relationship are not typical of people their age. The bond they share is forged by trials scarcely imagined, much less endured. Twice now, Master Damian has risked his life to protect her from a threat from another world. And it appears to me that, where you have tried and failed to form a lasting personal connection to the boy, Miss Roth was able to not only _succeed_ , but _excel_."

"If by 'excel' you mean 'convince him to sleep with her'…"

"Bruce, you and I both know full well that the two of them would never do anything so reckless as… well, _knowing_ one another. Perhaps they have found comfort in being together at night. But that in itself is not an inherently bad thing. As far as either of us can say, those two have done no wrong."

Bruce paused, thinking over his caretaker's words. "… Alfred, I just… I just want my boy to be safe. I didn't mean any harm by anything I did."

Alfred stepped forward, putting a hand on Bruce's shoulder. "Of course not, Master Bruce. It is the same with any parent. You're a father, you're going to worry about your son. But there comes a time when you must allow him to act of his own accord. You must let him face the rewards and consequences of his own actions. Only then will he be able to grow into the man you so desperately want to see him become."

Bruce smiled up at his oldest friend. "Guess you would know all about that, wouldn't you?"

"Master Bruce… you are the prime example of giving a child _too much_ freedom. I never told you no once as a child, and now you dress up as a giant bat every night and go out attacking any criminal you can find. Perhaps if I'd been a bit more firm, you may have chosen a pastime that didn't result in my having to pull bullets out of you every night."

Bruce chuckled as he shuffled over to the Batcomputer while Alfred walked back out to the Manor. "Maybe you're right, old friend… Damian isn't a kid anymore. I have to remember that..."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

 _Wayne Manor, Gotham City. January 17th, 2018. 9:23 PM._

Alfred strolled into the library with three china cups filled with hot tea balanced on the platter in his right hand, and a smile spread across his weathered face as he found Raven and Damian curled up together against the wall, a hefty-looking book sitting in the former's lap. The young lady had explained to him the concept of this "connective narration" the day before, but the idea that someone could actually reach into the mind of another seemed unusual to him. Now, he was perfectly familiar with the concept of hypnotic suggestion and mind-control, but those were rooted squarely in psychology, an observable and legitimate field of science. But from what he gathered in his conversations with Miss Roth, it seemed that she was capable of forming some sort of connection directly between her mind and someone else's, allowing them to not only speak to one another, but share mental images and even full _memories_ , all without uttering a single word aloud.

He also learned that, while her links to the minds of all of her teammates were strong, none of them even came close to her bond with Damian. The two of them were so intertwined that they even found themselves sharing certain aspects of their dreams. Until this point, the girl had never even heard of such a powerful link between two mortals. At first, Alfred was rather skeptical regarding the validity of her statement. But as the two conversed further during their wandering around the mansion, she spoke like she'd actually seen several rooms and objects in the Manor several times before, as if she had indeed received the memories of someone who had lived here before. As difficult as it was for him to wrap his head around, Alfred knew she was telling him the truth. As for why they were able to share certain parts of their dreams with one another, Alfred had his own theory: from what he understood, this "Azarath" that Miss Roth had told him about was populated by a people who counted purity among their most sacred of ideals. In all likelihood, these people probably maintained _absolute celibacy_ for the duration of their lives, and as such, no two denizens of Azarath would ever have developed a connection as deeply rooted and well-nurtured as the connection between her and Damian; she may very well have been the first servant of this "Azar" to ever experience a romantic interest. He considered, perhaps, that she was indeed the first of her kind to fall in love.

As Alfred approached the two teenagers seated on the floor before him, he was amused to find that, even being directly in their line of eyesight, the children somehow managed to not notice his presence in the slightest. Shaking his head gently with a tired smile, he cleared his throat somewhat deliberately. To this, Damian and Raven both lifted their eyes from their book and smiled up at him.

"If it pleases the both of you," Alfred began, "I've prepared some tea for the three of us. For you, Miss Roth, I allowed myself to make some assumptions, and prepared for you a cup of Earl Grey with a touch of lavender." He carefully lowered the expensive china and its steaming contents into Raven's hand. She brought it up to her face and took a soft breath, allowing the smell of the beverage to fill her sense of smell before bringing the tea up to her lips. Cautiously, the young girl took a slow, quiet sip from her cup.

"Earl Grey is actually my favorite. Thank you, Mister Pennyworth," Raven whispered, beaming back up at him.

"Of course, Miss Roth. And for you, Master Damian, I've prepared your favorite. Brown sugar instead of white, fresh cut lemon, and of course, a china cup." Damian behaved similarly to his counterpart, first taking in the drink's scent, then gingerly taking a sip from the cup.

"Thank you, Pennyworth," Damian said, a simple happiness in his eyes as he spoke. "To be honest with you, I'm surprised you even remembered that."

"Well, you should realize by now," Alfred said with a smile, "that even though I may be getting old, my mind is as sharp as ever."

Raven tilted her head with a smile. "Come on, Mr. Pennyworth. You're not that old yet."

Alfred cocked an eyebrow and smirked. "Oh, please. I've walked this earth for eighty-four years, Miss Roth," he replied slyly, pulling up a chair. "I think I know what old age feels like."

Raven instinctively threw her eyebrows up, genuinely surprised by Alfred's statement. " _What?_ You're… Mr. Pennyworth, you don't look anywhere close to that!"

The butler chuckled before taking a seat in his chair and sipping at his own tea. "Well, I do try to take care of myself," he replied. "Wouldn't want Master Bruce to get too lonely here in the Manor, would we?" He and Damian laughed for a moment, but Raven sat in silence, looking up at the old man quizzically.

"Mr. Pennyworth…" the Titan began, "… when exactly did you first become a butler?"

Alfred paused for a moment, not particularly used to people asking questions about his life. A calm smile appeared on his face as he thought back on all he'd done.

"Well, my dear…" Alfred started, his voice low as he thought about where to begin. "To understand that, you need to know what I was doing before I was employed by the Wayne family. My first real job was as a gardener when I was seventeen, long before I ever even came to America… it was difficult at first, but soon I learned how to properly tend to a seed, make sure it received enough sunlight and water every day. And Heavens… until that point, I'd never experienced anything quite so fulfilling as seeing a flower you grew with your own two hands in full bloom."

"Funny, isn't it?" Raven chimed in. "Your first job was helping things grow. Now here you are, over half a century later, still helping things grow."

"Yeah," Damian replied with a smirk. "Of course, none of those flowers ever threw a whole turkey across the kitchen, did they?"

"Indeed," Alfred cocked an eyebrow as he answered, a smug grin on his face. "But then again, flowers never brought home any nice young ladies to meet their father and butler, now did they?"

Damian and Raven blushed as the exchanged a quick glance, bashful smiles dancing on their lips. Raven took Damian's hand in hers, sliding her fingers into the spaces between his and squeezing gently.

"No," Raven said, looking down at their joined hands, "I guess they didn't."

Alfred's expression softened at the sight. "Now where was I… ah! Yes, after gardening for a year, I decided to join the Royal Guard and do my service for the Crown. After a few years in the Guard, I actually ended up joining Her Majesty's Secret Service."

"Wait, really?" Raven perked up for a moment, but Alfred quickly raised a hand.

"I'm afraid you'll have to hold your enthusiasm, Miss Roth," Alfred sighed. "Sadly, I'm not at liberty to divulge the details of this period of my life. After all, they named it the _Secret_ Service for a reason." Raven let out an exaggerated groan as Damian rolled his eyes.

"In any case, during my six years as an agent, I rediscovered a passion I'd flirted with briefly during secondary school, but ultimately had set aside when joining the Guard: _acting_." A smug grin stretched across Alfred's face as he continued. "I joined up with a Shakespearean troupe and toured with them across the country for about four years. Unfortunately, I had to leave troupe in 1968 when my father passed away. My father had been the previous butler to the Wayne family, you see… so when he died, I was called upon to take his place."

"Why is that?" Damian asked. "You're certainly no servant. What exactly bound you here?"

"Oh, don't misunderstand, Master Damian," Alfred responded with a shake of his head. "There was no legal obligation for me to provide my services. I took this position because I knew my father would have wanted me to ensure that the Waynes were taken care of when he was gone… Your great-grandparents were always good to my family during his time here, Master Damian. They always brought all of us into Gotham to celebrate Thanksgiving in this mansion with them, as if we were Waynes as well. In fact, we gathered around the very same table that stands in the dining room today. Being invited to commune with the Wayne family at that old table is quite an honor, as if you've taken a seat among many well-known figures throughout American history. Musicians, artists, presidents… even a Pope sat at that table several decades ago, when he accepted an offer to stay in the Manor during a visit to the United States."

"I imagine it took moving Heaven and Earth to be invited to dine with the Waynes in those days." Damian mused, absently dragging his thumb in little circles over the back of Raven's.

Raven's face turned a deeper shade of red as she looked down at the closed book in her lap. "Guess I got lucky," she said quietly. "All I had to do was get Damian to like me."

"Ha! Miss Roth, I assure you," Pennyworth piped up, "that in itself is truly a feat of Herculean proportions. Master Bruce and I spent _three years_ trying to make Master Damian feel at home here. The fact that you accomplished this and managed to calm his seemingly unrelenting aggression proves you've done more than enough to join this family in my opinion."

Raven paused for a moment as she thought on the words the butler had just said. As she realized what it was he was saying, her lips began to lightly tremble as they shifted into a shaky smile, and her eyes began to well up with tears. "I… th-thank you, Mr. Pennyworth…"

Alfred smiled sweetly down into the young woman's eyes. "No, Miss Roth. I'm the one who should be thanking you for everything you've done for my…" he trailed off as he looked over at the Son of Batman, whose eyes were turned lovingly to his Raven. Alfred smiled. "… everything you've done for my _grandson_. As far as I'm concerned, Miss Raven, you are one of us."

Raven suddenly let out a cough, unable to keep holding the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding onto. She laughed weakly for a moment, her laughter intermingled with an occasional sniffle as a single tear rolled down her cheek, and her hair began to slowly rise into the air as little twinkles of violet light danced around her. A soft, sweet smile curled onto Damian's lips; Alfred was right. Raven was a part of the family, and there was no denying it.

Alfred sighed as he picked back up with this story. "As I said before, I stayed on as butler because the Waynes didn't treat their hired help as… well, hired help. They treated them as family. For how well they treated my father up until the moment he passed, I had grown to love them as if they were my own family as well… and I wound up forming a particularly close bond with their son, thirty-year old Dr. Thomas Wayne… your grandfather, Master Damian."

Damian perked up. "… What was he like?"

Alfred paused, gathering his thoughts. "For as long as I knew him, which had been a great deal of both our lives, Master Thomas had always possessed the heart of a servant… which was quite ironic, considering his heritage. Despite his parents' constantly assuring him that he wouldn't need to go through college, and that he would do just fine as the head of Wayne Enterprises, Master Thomas still went out and earned his Doctorate. Miss Martha was so proud of him…"

"Martha… that was Damian's grandmother, right?" Raven asked, having regained her composure.

"That's correct, Miss Raven. The two of them shared a rebellious spirit, which I believe played a part in bringing them together. Miss Martha was born into the Kane family, the family who owned Kane Chemicals, the pharmaceutical company. The Kanes and the Waynes didn't, ah… didn't exactly agree on a number of matters regarding Gotham's future. So when Thomas and Martha announced their engagement, the Kane family was outraged. It actually damaged many of Miss Martha's relationships… but nonetheless, Thomas and Martha Wayne were the acting heads of the Wayne household when I came into their employ.

"Unfortunately, Master Thomas' parents passed away not long after. Thomas had been born later in their lives, so by this time, they were both in their eighties. There wasn't anything that could have been done. The two of them had been instrumental in revitalizing Gotham after the Great Depression, so it was a major blow to the city's collective morale when they died, and it manifested in the form of a drastic increase in violent crimes, particularly in Gotham's… hmm, how shall I put this… ' _lower-income_ ' areas."

"As awful as that sounds, it sorts of makes sense that it would happen," Damian said flatly. "People in areas like Park Row were probably depending on them to open more jobs so that they could escape poverty. So when they died, those people likely came to the conclusion that what they were doing was the only way for them to get by. Many of them likely had families to provide for… it's sad, really."

"I agree, Master Damian. It would seem that the death of a Wayne is almost always followed by the suffering of Gotham's people." Alfred continued. "In any case, your grandfather decided that while he may not have been able to save them, he would still do everything in his power to bring the city they dedicated so much of their lives to back from the brink. That is why most of Gotham's infrastructure is owned and maintained by your family's company; Master Thomas was, first and foremost, a surgeon at Gotham General, but the few times he took action as the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, his actions were immensely impactful, and incredibly beneficial for Gotham as a whole. In doing all of this, your grandfather created several thousand jobs, giving anyone willing to work for it an opportunity to bring themselves and their families out of poverty."

"And five years after that, Father was born," Damian piped up, "is that right?"

"Exactly," Alfred replied with a smile. "I still remember the night it happened like it was only yesterday… Master Bruce was born in the Regency Room of this house on February 19th, 1973 at 10:30 in the evening. I was unaware that Miss Martha had gone into labor, and was occupied in the family room, looking over a piece of music your grandmother had written…"

"Hold on…" Damian held his hand up in surprise. "Grandmother wrote music?"

The old caretaker chuckled quietly as he looked down at the curiosity in Damian's eyes. "Your grandmother was a woman of very many talents, Master Damian. She loved music; she was a far more gifted pianist than I've ever been, and her alto was rich and... and full of life…" Alfred paused. His eyes took on a wistful look as he thought back. "Every Christmas, when we were all gathered in the family room, with a fire burning in the fireplace, Miss Martha would…" His hands began to tremble, and his lower lip started to quiver. "She… She would sit down at the piano, and… and…"

Damian reached forward and placed a hand on Alfred's knee. The butler turned his face away and squeezed his eyes shut, sucking in a sharp breath through his teeth as he fought back against the tears.

"Alfred…" Damian kept his voice soft and quiet, rising to his feet with Raven following suit beside him. Just as Damian brought his hand to Alfred's shoulder, the old man's resistance collapsed, and he let out a forceful cough before bending forward, burying his face in his hands as he wept.

"I… I… oh _God_ , they were my _closest friends_ ," Alfred stammered through his cries. "They were… they were my _family_ … I, I… God, _God, oh_ _ **God!**_ " As he continued crying out, his words became slurred and too difficult for Damian or Raven to understand.

As his strength was quickly spent, his voice began to gradually fade away, until Pennyworth was left hunched over, his face still hidden in his hands, whimpering quietly.

Raven began to tremble, feeling wave after wave of grief crash over her like a raging tide. Had this been two years ago, she would have had to leave the room, to keep herself from being overwhelmed by the vast reserves of negative emotion. Instead, she stepped forward and placed her hand on Alfred's other shoulder. There was no mysterious purple light. No otherworldly incantation. No shadows stretching across the room. She just placed her hand on his shoulder and spoke.

"Mr. Pennyworth…" Raven's voice was soft, filled with compassion. "… would it be okay if I looked at the piece you were looking at that night?"

The old caretaker slowly lifted his head, his worn cheeks now wet with tears, and looked into Raven's eyes, her irises in a slow, calming swirl. His hands still trembling, Alfred slowly stood up, looked back to the girl, and nodded. She took him by the hand and slowly guided him out of the library and towards the family room, with Damian following close behind.

As they walked into the family room, the fireplace was already alive with the crackle of the logs burning away. Alfred, letting go of Raven's hand, walked straight over to a nearby bookshelf, and retrieved a small binder. He opened this binder up and carefully removed a single sheet of paper before placing the binder back on the bookshelf. He turned to the ebony-haired girl and placed the sheet into her hands. The piece had been written by hand, but Martha's notation was immaculate; Raven could read everything perfectly clear. Every note, every symbol, it was all clear, save for the title at the top, which was written in what Raven assumed was Martha's handwriting:

 _A Study for Bruce_

Raven's lips slowly slid into a gentle smile, and she took a seat at the little black bench, carefully sitting the sheet of music down on the stand in front of her. Alfred and Damian sat on the couch a few feet away facing her, Damian gently rubbing little circles into Alfred's back.

Raven closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then, looking back at the music, she began to play…

…

Bruce sat in his father's old study chair, a hand on his chin with one finger covering his mouth. All day, he kept coming back to what Alfred had said to him. He knew deep down that the butler was right; what Bruce had put them through today was completely uncalled for. And yes, he'd done it to punish them both for shirking their duties this morning… mostly. But as much as Bruce hated to admit it, he was being selfish. He was the one who sent Damian away to join the Titans, and he was the one who stripped Damian of the name Robin. He did these things out of love, to help the boy grow and mature.

But despite everything, Bruce simply didn't want Damian to grow up yet.

He'd only had the boy in his home for three years. He'd only _known_ the boy for four and a half. But here he was. He would be sixteen this September, but he had grown in spirit so much since he left home. Bruce was _afraid_. Not so much afraid that the boy would get himself hurt (of course, that concern was there as well. Every parent wants to keep their child from harm). Damian knew how to fight just as well as Bruce did – by now, maybe even better. Him getting hurt was likely not going to be a problem.

What Bruce was afraid of was losing him. While he'd only been a father for four and a half years now, Bruce hadn't realized how important being a father had become to him. He loved Damian more than anything in the world. But now that Damian was becoming his own man, Bruce had been fighting some vain fight to somehow keep his son from realizing that Bruce truly had nothing left to give. And a hot wash of shame washed over Bruce as he realized that he'd purposely tried to put himself between Damian and Raven. The girl may be the real-life equivalent of Rosemary's Baby, but the fact was that she was _good_. She was _exactly_ who Damian needed in his life. But in that moment, the only things Bruce saw walk into the Cave six hours late were his son, and the one who would tear his son away from him. So he lashed out.

And now, Bruce was being forced to do something he has always, always despised: say that he was sorry.

It was time for Bruce to admit that, as much as it hurt for him to do so, he had to let Damian go with Raven. Wherever the road takes the two of them, he had to let the boy go…

Bruce lifted his head, his eyes widening. Someone was playing the piano. And the piece they were playing was… why was it so _familiar_?

Bruce held tightly to his thoughts as he made his way to the livingroom, still in full uniform (with the exception of his cowl, which sat at his desk in the Cave). As Bruce walked into the entryway to the livingroom, he froze completely at what he found.

Immediately, his mind whisked him back to his youth. One night when Bruce was only five years old, he had a nightmare. He rushed to the Master Bedroom as fast as he could, seeking security in the arms of his beloved parents. After he told them all about what happened in his dream, his mother picked him up and carried him into the livingroom. There, with her baby boy sitting in her lap, she began to play a song on the piano before them.

It's wasn't long before little Bruce was at peace. Noticing that he was asleep, his mother lifted him up and brought him back to his bedroom, laying him back down into the bed. And every night, before she left to return to her own bed, Momma always kissed his forehead and said one thing:

" _My love for you will never fade, my little White Knight."_

Bruce had tried everything to regain that sense of security. He asked Alfred to play the piece. He'd taken the piece to world-class pianists. He even tried to learn to play the piano himself so he could do it. But no matter what he did, no matter where he went, it never happened.

And now, after thirty-eight painful years, it was as if his mother had returned to play for him one more time. He glanced over to Alfred, who sat upon the couch with a grateful expression on his face. He looked to Damian, whose eyes were wide with amazement and affection. At last Bruce turned to the piano to see who had finally given Bruce one more moment with his mother.

There, sitting on the little blank bench, with one of his mother's handwritten pieces in front of her, was Raven.

Alfred sighed. "… as I sat there, right where you are now, and let the final chord of that piece fade into nothing, I heard the first cries of a newborn baby, echoing through this house. I rushed to the Regency Room as fast as my legs would carry me, and… well, there they were. All three of them. _My_ family. Master Thomas carefully placed the little one into my arms, wrapped in a blue blanket… and it felt as though I could see clearly for the first time in my life. This was Bruce Thomas Wayne… and looking back, I understand now. He was never just my charge. From the day he was born, he was my _son_. _My_ _only begotten son_."

Damian sat quietly beside the old caretaker and smiled, taking Alfred's hand in his own. Raven turned to look back at the two she had been playing for, her smile humble but elated. Bruce took a step forward out the shadows, and into the family room.

"That was my mother's music…"

The three of them all turned to look at him, but Bruce kept his eyes squarely on Raven. Slowly, the mage girl rose to her feet and walked up to him. Looking straight ahead, Raven realized that her eyes were level with his collarbone… She remembered him being much taller. Regardless, she looked up to meet his gaze, but she could not read his emotions.

"Mr. Wayne…" Raven began timidly, "… I'm _so_ sorry. We thought that if we gave Alfred something that made him feel a little closer to Mr. Thomas and Ms. Martha, then then he wouldn't be–"

The words she was speaking that very intact completely vanished as Bruce Wayne's arms suddenly wrapped around her.

Raven stood unmoving for a moment as Bruce held the girl just a little bit tighter.

"M… Mr. Wayne…?" Raven whispered in confusion.

"No." Bruce's voice came out gentle and calm. "No more of that, Raven. My name is _Bruce_. You called me by my name from now on."

Raven slowly put her arms around the elder superhero. "… y-Yes, sir."

"Raven, I'm sorry for how I acted today," Bruce continued, releasing his embrace and placing his hands on her shoulders. "I was afraid… I was afraid that you were going to take my family away from me."

"... I would never do anything to hurt your family..." The fear that had initially gripped Raven soon gave way to confusion.

"I know. And I'm sorry for seeing that until now…" Bruce looked directly into Raven's eyes. All at once, Raven could read his emotions clear as day. She felt the haze of guilt dissipate before her, and suddenly realized that the look in his eyes was no longer one of anger. This was love. _Paternal_ love.

"But now I see it clear as day, Raven. You're one of us. You're a part of this family." A soft, welcoming smile spread across Bruce's face. "You'll always have a home here. I promise you."

After a moment of realization, Raven threw her arms around Bruce's neck, and all around the family room appeared her little twinkles of amethyst light, dancing around the room like like fireflies as she held him tighter. Damian couldn't stop smiling; this was his heart, his hope, his _Raven_ … and his father loved her like his own. These were the two most important people in his entire world. Knowing that Raven would we welcomed into their fold was all he needed. Alfred couldn't be happier either: for forty-four years he'd been watching Bruce grow, and helped him as he built his own family. And when Damian arrived, he offered up a prayer on the boy's behalf, begging for him to find peace somehow, somewhere. And in this exact moment, Alfred knew that his prayers had been answered.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

 _Amusement Mile, Gotham City. January 20th, 2018. 10:39 PM._

Red X and Batman landed lightly on the roof of the factory, quickly dropping into a crouch to avoid detection by the snipers positioned nearby. Upon a quick scan of the area, the pair determined that the ideal point of entry was, unfortunately, a ventilation shaft right next to one of the gunners. Damian quietly stepped across the way to meet up with his father to discuss their plan of entry.

"There's really no reason for this to be too difficult," X whispered, pulling a small shuriken from his belt. "A well-placed tranq star should suffice…"

"Hold on, X," Batman replied, his voice low. "If we take one with a projectile, we run the risk of alerting the other to our position…" he bent back around the small corner around which the two cloaked figures hid. "What if we both made for one, _quietly_ , and tried to take them before they noticed us?"

X shook his head, his eyes squinting through his mask. "Look, watch them for a minute…" The two caped figures peered around their little wall as they observed the snipers before them. They looked particularly nervous… probably their first day on the job. Unfortunately, they seemed to have formed a habit of look over at one another every so often.

"If we try to move on one of them, the other one will see us coming." Red X squatted there behind the wall, trying to come up with some semblance of a plan. "Think you can jam their weapons?"

"Not likely," the older superhero pointed over at one of the snipers – specifically, the sniper's weapon. "Those rifles are completely analog. Aside from the laser-sight, no apparatus with any sort of computer or electronic systems. Trying to use the jammer here would be a waste."

" _Alright you two, time's up,"_ a voice chimed in from within Bruce and Damian's minds, and Damian's shadow quickly detached itself from his body, slithering up right between the two gunmen. Slowly, a cloaked figure rose from the shadow, and as the two snipers caught sight of her, she threw her hands up, clenching them into fists as they did so. The two thugs were swallowed up by their own shadows, and vanished before they could get off a single shot, their rifles clattering to the rooftop. Raven turned back to the two men behind her with a half-smile.

"Don't worry, they're safe and sound in a holding cell at the Police Station. They're gonna be just fine," the mage girl said aloud, strolling over to the ventilation shaft.

"Jim, can you confirm?" Batman spoke into his com-link.

" _Jesus Christ, Batman! What was that!?"_ the Commissioner shouted in reply. _"A couple of punks just got – got_ _ **spat out of nowhere**_ _into one of our cells!"_

"Relax, Jim. Everything's under control. Keep this channel open in case we need backup." Bruce's voice was hushed as he and Damian approached their point of entry. Raven quickly melded back into the shadows and slid across the metallic surface of the shaft into the building.

"I know you don't much care for magic, but…" Red X couldn't help but grin. "Even _you_ have to admit that was impressive."

"It presents a less violent solution to a problem I've been having since day one, and it's much less likely to be detected…" Bruce allowed himself a quick smirk as he followed Damian into the metal shaft. "I think she'll fit in just fine here."

" _Topdown to Inquisitor, come in,"_ Jon's voice crackled over the communicator in Batman's cowl. _"Inquisitor, do you read me?"_

"I read you, Topdown…" Bruce whispered as he and Damian quietly slid down into the building. "Are you and Mjolnir in position?"

" _Affirmative,"_ the hybrid's voice replied. _"Let us know when you're ready to–"_

" _Ah, ah, ahhhh!"_ Bruce grimaced as he heard the Joker's familiar voice sound over the intercom. _"No fair bringing the kiddies along, Batboy! Maybe you should tell little, uhh, 'Topdown' to head on home… I'm sure Kansas is lovely this time of year!"_ Bruce cursed under his breath as the clown's unholy cackling echoed throughout the building.

"Topdown, stay in position. Switch off this frequency, we don't need him listening in," Bruce ordered into the intercom. "And don't panic."

"… _Did he just say Kansas?"_ Superboy stuttered, clearly panicking.

" _Yes, I did!"_ Joker chirped over the intercom again.

"Shut your mouth, you pasty freak," Damian growled into his com, knowing Joker could hear him.

" _Why don't you come on down and make me…"_ The psychotic teased. _"… Missster aaal Ghuuuuuuuul?"_

Damian clenched his teeth as he searched for a vent, ignoring the madman's howling laughter.

"Focus, son…" Bruce whispered. "Don't let him get to you."

"Oh, _somebody'll_ get to _somebody_ , alright…" Red X hissed through clenched teeth.

" _Damian, this is the exact opposite of 'not letting him get to you',"_ Raven commented in the back of Damian's mind. _"Take a deep breath."_

Damian did as she suggested, finding his center before finding an air vent nearby. "Thanks, Raven."

" _Love you too, D."_

Damian let himself smirk a little bit. He couldn't practically hear her smiling in his head.

"Work first, flirt later," Bruce muttered. "We have a job to do, you two."

"Yes, Father," the boy turned back to his father with a grin as he placed his foot on the vent, quickly firing into it with his leg. The vent bent outward with ease, quickly hanging from one screw as it creaked quietly back and forth. The two quickly dropped down into the empty room below, where Raven waited for them, crouched beside the doorway.

"Where exactly are we in the building?" Damian whispered. Bruce pulled up the navigational system on his gauntlet, which marked their location in the factory with a small white dot.

"Looks like we're just outside the main assembly room," the pointy-eared figure replied. "It's bound to be swarming with guards, so going around it is our best bet. We could try climbing back into the ventilation shaft and making our way around, but…"

"I doubt that would play out very well…" Red X added. "Joker has probably already figured out that's how we got in. Any word on the others' status?"

"They're doing fine," Batman assured as he checked in on everyone's location throughout the city. "Starfire, Ivy and Blue Beetle have made contact with the Mayor, and he's under their watch now. Beast Boy, Catwoman and Terra have already located and disarmed several bombs planted in the courthouse, museum and bank, and are searching the city for any others as we speak. And Hood is…"

Damian's head tilted slightly as his father trailed off. "What? Where is he?"

"… he's on his way to Blüdhaven…" Bruce whispered, a horrible realization slowly dawning on him. "… Oh dear _God_ …"

"What's wrong?" Raven asked worriedly. "Why's he going to Blüdhaven?"

"Joker knows who we all are…" Damian answered, mortified as it clicked in his head as well. "That includes Grayson and Barbara… Which means he probably knows about the baby."

The half-demon let out a short gasp. "There's… there's no way he would try to…" her voice began to shake ever so slightly as she spoke. "I've heard stories, but _no one_ would…"

Bruce growled in the back of his throats as he switched off the map. " _It wouldn't be the first time…_ " He turned his attention back to Raven. "Can you find us a path to Joker? One that keeps us off the security cameras?"

"Already have one," Raven replied, her brow furrowed with determination. "Follow me."

Jason practically flew down the road as he raced towards Blüdhaven, pushing his bike to its absolute limit. He knew that, of all the Robins Bruce had brought up, Joker hated Dick the most, because he's never been able to make anything stick with him. No matter what Joker did to him, Dick always bounced right back. Unfortunately, Joker also knew who every single one of the Robins and Batgirls were, and that meant he probably knew about Dick and Barbara getting engaged and moving into their ranch… and somehow, somehow, he probably knew about Tommy. That would be his endgame; that's how Joker planned to break Dick once and for all. He was going to take Dick's child. Despite their differences, Jason loved Dick… there's no way he was about to let that happen. Forget about Bruce's orders; Kane could take care of herself. It's not like she was helpless anyways, she was Batwoman. But Dick was his brother. Tommy was his nephew. He was going to keep them safe, whatever it took.

" _Jason,"_ Bruce's voice startled him as it popped over the comlink in his helmet. _"Jason, do you read me?"_

"Load and clear, old man," Jason shouted over the roar of his engine. "Look, I know you said look out for Kate, but listen…"

" _I know, Jason,"_ Bruce stopped him. _"Please hurry… you've got to get to them before it's too late. Please."_

"Don't worry, Bruce," Jason replied as he zoomed past the city limits. "I'll take care of 'em. Promise."

Raven slid underneath the door into the Main Security Office and into the corner of the room, just as Bruce kicked the door off of its hinges. He and Damian moved into the room slowly, their eyes bearing down on the back of the clown's head as he stood, arms crossed, facing the wall of screens before him.

"Turn around slowly, Joker," Batman growled, his anger radiating off of him in waves. "Look at me."

Joker turned and looked over his shoulder, his ghoulish grin stretching all the way across his face as he turned on his heel. Raven shuddered as she saw the monster's emerald eyes flash just barely as he whirled around to face Batman and Red X, who both stood tall, fists clenched, just inside the room.

"Braaavo, old Batboy, _braaaavo!_ " Joker hissed through his sickening smile, clapping sarcastically as he began pacing before them. "Good on you for staying off the ol' TVs here the whole way up. I wouldn't expect any less from you after all these years we've been doin' this old dance."

"Can it, psychopath," Damian barked, clearly agitated. "We're not here to listen to you talk. Where's the detonator?"

"Oh calm down, Pipsqueak!" the clown waved off Damian's demands nonchalantly as he strode back across the room again. "We'll get to that in a minute. First we talk, like we always do. Besides…" he stopped in the center of the room, casting his gaze over to the corner where Raven hid. "We wouldn't want to lose our composure in front of your _girlfriend_ , eh?"

Damian grit his teeth as the green-haired fiend cackled before them. Raven slowly glided across the floor to Damian's side before emerging from her shadow.

"Joker, this doesn't have to end in violence," the mage girl urged. "Just surrender now, and we won't hurt you. I promise."

Joker cocked an eyebrow as he locked eyes with Raven. "Oh come now, little witchy-poo," he teased, his lips pursing as he leaned forward. "You think I'm scared of old Batsy here putting me in a hospital bed again? Please, he's been doing that since before you were born!"

Raven took a step back, her fingers gently wrapping around Damian's arm. Joker… he couldn't be real. Even without trying to look into his mind, Raven could feel an unspeakable hate toiling beneath his surface. It was unlike anything she'd ever felt from a mortal before… and rarely even among demons.

"But let's get to the chase, shall we? You're not just here to put me away again," the ghoul carried on. "Noooo, you're here because _someone_ pulled a Houdini! Vamoosed! Disappeared without a single trace, and it just so happened to coincide with my coming back, so you put two and two together to figure out that she came to me first…"

The clown snapped his fingers, and all the screens behind him changed to show one image. The three cloaked figures froze, overcome with shock.

"Well here she is, ol' boy!" the clown exclaimed, throwing his hands up like some kind of showman. "The sweet little Killer Queen herself, _Miss Harley Quinn!_ "

On the other end of the video feed, Harley was down on her knees. She was completely naked, save for an apron covering her front, and a handkerchief wrapped tightly around her mouth. From her neck down, Harley's body was covered in fresh cuts, which spelled out the word "HA" over and over in deep red all over her flesh. Raven could see the tears running down her cheeks, and the fear in her eyes. Her hands stayed behind her back, implying that she'd been tied up. Behind her, Batman could just make out the faintest glow of a timer, counting down from five minutes.

" _Oopsie!_ " Joker howled through his laughter. "Looks like poor little Harley got herself into a bit of a pickle! Probably waiting on somebody to go help her get cleaned up right now, I'll bet! Somebody better go check on her, or she might just _explode_ with anticipation!" The clown practically screamed with laughter, until he found himself slammed into the wall to his felt. The monitors dimmed as the whole room went dark, and both Damian and Bruce turned to see Raven moving in towards the Joker. She had nearly doubled in size, and her skin had turned a dark red, her eyes split into four glowing with a menacing red light. Several small horns began to poke up from underneath her cloak, and a mass of black tendrils squirmed out from the cloak's hem.

" _ **Here me now, impudent vermin,"**_ the half-demon spoke, her voice distorted as it echoed through the mind of everyone in the room. _**"Your actions are a shame to your entire race, and I will not allow this to continue."**_

"Ohhhh, my!" Joker squealed as he stared intently back at the devil-girl. "Looks like someone has a bit of a dark side, don't they!?" He cackled madly before a tendril wrapped itself titghtly around his throat.

" _ **I am Raven, last born of the Dark Lord Trigon the Terrible and rightful heir to his Throne in the innermost Circle of Hell,"**_ Raven bellowed, raising a second tendril to Joker's face, slowly inching it towards his open mouth. _**"And by his blood, I now claim your soul."**_

Just as the shadowy appendage was about to slither down the clown's throat, Damian threw himself onto Raven's back. " _Raven!_ Listen to me! You have to snap out of it, right now! This isn't you!" He jerked the hood off of the girl's head, and turned her head towards him, looking into her eyes. "You're not your father, Raven! Please, you have to come back to us — come back to me! _Please!_ "

Everything froze for a moment. Even the air around them seemed to halt. Suddenly, Raven's second set of eyes faded away, and the red glow dissipated, leaving her true eyes staring back at Damian. Her tendrils disappeared, her horns retracted back into her skin, and she slowly reduced to her normal size, her skin now back to its pale grey tone. Her knees shaking, Raven fell into Damian's arms, and she sobbed weakly as Joker dropped to the ground.

"I… Damian, I'm so _sorry_ …" the girl's words were shaky and quiet as she cried. "I didn't… I didn't know I could still… I don't know what came over me, I just–"

Damian gently shushed his Raven as he closed his eyes, holding her trembling body to him tightly as he ran his fingers through her hair. "It's alright now, baby… you're okay. You're okay."

" _Awwwwww_ …" the clown cooed behind the two Titans. "That is so sweet. Look at how much they _love_ each other…"

Bruce rocketed forward, his palm crashing into Joker's nose with unparalleled force, knocking his head back into the wall. As the criminal's cranium bounced back, a cut-off yelp sounded as Batman caught Joker's throat in his grip, threatening to crush the clown's windpipe.

" **I'm done playing games with you, Joker."** Batman's voice was shaking with rage as he spat the words into Joker's face. **"Call off the bombs and let Quinn go. NOW."**

Joker stared back at Bruce, unable to draw breath. Then, in a blink, a slim black device with a red button on the end slipped out of Joker's sleeve into his hand. The clown flipped the top back, revealing a blue button concealed underneath. He pressed it, and and the countdown behind Quinn went black as the bomb deactivated. Slowly, a grin spread across Joker's face. Batman loosened his grip around the freak's throat, allowing him to draw breath.

" _So_ …" the Joker hissed after a few deep breaths. "Ya gonna finally finish this, _Brucie_? Or can I pencil you win for another party in a few months? Y'know… after little Tommy's _funeral_."

Bruce threw the clown to the ground, standing over him menacingly. Damian picked Raven up off her feet, and carried her out of the room as Batman came down on the ghoul, the sound of cracking bones reverberating a short way down the halls outside as the Titans started on their way out.

"Damian…" Raven groaned, clinging weakly to the boy's chest. "Is he about to…"

"Sometimes, I wish he would…" Damian sighed before gently pressing his lips to her forehead. "But no. That's rule number one… We never kill."

 _Caverns beneath the Batcave. January 20th, 2018. 11:33 PM._

Harley kept her head down, refusing to look back up at the camera. She had let herself look when she heard it turn on and point at her, but then she realized who was looking back. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. Her face was wet with tears, her hands had long since gone numb, and a pool of blood was beginning to form around her legs. She was terrified… but she wasn't going to let him see it.

She was so focused on keeping her head down, she couldn't help but jump when she heard something drop to the cavern floor not too far in front of her. Harley would have cursed had it not been for the gag in her mouth. She just kept hoping it wasn't that snake-lady again…

It definitely wasn't. As a pair of green boots stepped into the light, Harley lifted her head to see Robin disable the camera in front of her.

"Wow…" Carrie muttered under her breath as she looked down at Quinn's body. "That's messed up." Carrie pulled out Batarang and quickly made her way behind Quinn, cutting her hands free. Harley pulled her arms out in front of her, her fingers barely twitching as they slowly returned to their normal color. As the Girl Wonder came back around to untie the handkerchief from around Quinn's face, she tapped the R on her chest and spoke.

"Hey, Alfred…" Carrie spoke clearly as her fingers busied themselves with the knot on the back of Harley's head. "Get the infirmary ready. Quinn's in pretty bad shape."

" _Right away, Miss Kelly! Please hurry!"_ An old man's voice on the other end implored.

Robin eventually pulled the handkerchief free, gently rubbing Quinn's cheeks and removing the gag from her mouth. "Alright, let's get you back to the Batcave," Carrie said quietly as she looked into Quinn's eyes reassuringly. "Do you think you can walk?"

"Sure thing, sweetie…" Harley pulled herself shakily to her feet. "Hurts pretty bad, but I'll manage."

For the next several minutes, the two climbed aimlessly upwards through the caverns. Occasionally, Carrie would look down at a little navigator in her gauntlet. Harley figured it was, in part, to reassure her that the kid knew where they were going. But part of her also suspected that the poor kid actually was lost.

Eventually the two of them came to a large, open chamber. When Quinn looked up, she was shocked to see some kind of metal container held up underneath what looked like a bridge at the top. Carrie put her arm around the injured woman, and fired her grapple gun upwards. After a moment, the two of them shot upwards, and after a moment, they emerged into what looked like some kind of laboratory. Quinn stumbled about on the cold metal floor, and Robin barely caught her as she fell.

"Easy, Quinn…" Carrie hoisted Harley up onto her back and carried her across the chamber. "You've lost a lot of blood. Don't try to move, just let Alfred do his thing…" Robin walked through a white curtain into the small infirmary, and gently set the rogue down on a medical bed. Harley looked up to see Robin looking down at her, and soon she was joined by a kind-looking old man with what looked like an oxygen mask in his hand.

"W… what is that…?" Harley mumbled.

"Anesthesia, Dr. Quinzel," the old man replied calmly. "Don't worry, ma'am. I've been putting people back together after confrontations with the likes of the Joker for almost two decades now. You're in excellent hands."

Quinn nodded slowly as he looked down at her. "Listen…" she started as the old man prepared the anesthetic. "Tell Batman… tell him I wanna be _good_ … tell him I wanna be a _good guy_ from now on… okay?"

"I'll make sure he gets your message," the old man promised as he brought the mask up to Quinn's face. "For right now, let's just focus on keeping you breathing…"

 _Grayson Ranch, Blüdhaven. January 20th, 2018. 11:53 PM._

Dick shuffled out of the bathroom, tossing his towel into the laundry bin by the door as he looked at his fiancée lying on the bed. She looked up from her tablet and smiled back at him as he crawled under the covers beside her, carefully putting his arms around her. He heard that something was going on in Gotham tonight, and truthfully, part of him felt like he should suit up and rush off to Bruce's aid… but not tonight. This was more important. This beautiful woman beside him, and the little man growing inside her, were the only things he needed to worry about right now.

"Sorry I kept you waitin', hun," Dick sighed as he planted a kiss on Barbara's cheek. "Hair stopped up the shower drain again, had to take care of it."

"Mmhmm…" Barbara blushed slightly as her fiancé settled in beside her. "All _your_ hair, no doubt?"

"You got me," Dick said, gently placing kisses all down Barbara's shoulder. "I bet Tommy's gonna shed juuust like me when he gets older."

Barbara laughed, running a hand through Dick's hair. "Let's hope not!" She whispered. "I swear, if somebody walked in and saw all that, they'd probably ask where we kept our–"

Barbara stopped short as they both heard the sound of tires screeching outside.

"Stay here," Dick said quickly before bolting up and running out to the front door. He opened the door just in time for Red Hood to barrel through the doorway.

"Jason!?" Dick threw his arms up in annoyance. "What are you doing here, man? It's the middle of the night!"

"Dick, listen to me." Jason pulled off his helmet, and Dick paused as he saw the worry in his brother's eyes. "You and Barbara need to get out of the house. _Right now._ "

Nightwing nodded, understanding the urgency in Todd's voice. He rushed back to the bedroom, scooped Barbara up off the bed, and ran back into the hall, nearly bowling Jason over as the younger Robin headed into the bedroom after them.

"Dick, what's happening!?" Barbara asked. "Why is Jason here? Where are we going?"

"Out," Dick grunted as he leapt through the open front door, racking out into the yard. Shortly after, Jason came back out through the door, with something in his hands. Barbara just barely made out what it was as Todd ran out into the backyard.

"What the…" Barbara's eyes opened wide. " _Was that a BOMB!?_ "

A grand flash lit up everything around the two, and the air seemed to crack within their ears. When the light dimmed, the couple looked up to see the air behind their home swallowed up by fire and smoke. Dick fell to his knees, horrified at what he just witnessed. That had almost been his Barbara… that had almost been his Tommy.

After a moment of watching the fire rage, the couple were relieved to see Jason Todd emerge from around the house.

" _Dick!_ " Jason shouted as he stumbled forward, covered in ashes. "Dick, is Barbara okay?! _Is the baby okay!?_ "

" _Jason!_ Thank God!" Dick cried out, holding his fiancé close to him. "We're alright, man! We're all alright!"

Jason stopped for a moment a few feet in front of them, and looked down at the bump in Barbara's belly. He grinned, then pressed a button on his belt. "The, uhh… the fire department should be here in a… in a few minutes…" Jason's flopped over onto the ground, his face buried in the grass.

Dick looked back up at the embers flying up into the sky behind his home. "Man…" he sighed, turning his eyes back to Barbara's as he let out an exasperated laugh. "I just ordered us a swingset for that yard, too."

 _Grayson Ranch, Blüdhaven. January 25th, 2018. 6:34 AM._

Raven sat on the front porch swing of Dick's humble little house, her knees held tightly to her chest underneath her blanket as she looked out at the Blüdhaven skyline in the haze of dusk. It had been her idea to take some time away from the rest of the team after what happened in Gotham, but it was Damian who suggested staying with Dick and Barbara for a few days. Raven was hesitant to impose herself on the couple, especially considering the huge hole in their backyard, but upon receiving word, they insisted she come by. They had such good hearts… still, Raven tried her best to keep from being a burden during her stay; she barely ate, her showers were cold, and it had been a battle to convince her to sleep in the guest bedroom as opposed to on the couch. And despite the older pair's insistence that she just sit down and relax, Raven kept on her feet, doing what she could to help them around the house. It was the least she could do… after all, she nearly broke rule number one. She had to start making amends.

Raven's train of thought came to a quick halt as he front door creaked quietly open, and Damian stepped out onto the porch. She smiled as they locked eyes; she knew how it probably looked to everyone else, but she was glad the boy had been so adamant about coming with her. If the name of the game truly was emotional healing, there was nobody better to help her in the process than him. He sat down beside her on the swing and put an arm around her as they gently swayed back and forth, and Raven curled up beside him, her head on his shoulder.

"How're you feeling this morning?" Damian asked, his voice soft and gentle as Raven spread her blanket out over him.

"A little better," she sighed as she felt his other hand gently light upon her knee. "It really helps to have you here, y'know. Thank you for coming with me."

"You don't need to thank me," Damian replied, kissing her head. "I just need to know you'll be alright."

"I will…" Raven nestled her head into the crook of Damian's neck. "I hate thinking that the team had to go back home without us, though."

"I'm sure Kori can take care of everything while we're here…" Damian squeezed her against him. "Besides, I don't know if I could stand not seeing your face for so long."

Raven smiled as she lifted her head up and gently kissed Damian's cheek. "Well, it shouldn't be too long before we can get back to the Tower. Promise."

"Hey, take your time," the young Wayne assured her, running his hand up and down her side. "I could get used to a place like this. Maybe one day you and me could get a little house kinda like this one outside of–" Damian was cut off by a quick yelp as Raven hopped up into his lap, her fingers curling up around his shirt tightly.

"Careful!" Raven whispered, her cheeks turning the faintest shade of red. "Watch where you put your hands, I'm ticklish…"

Damian slowly raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk curling on his lips. "Oh reeeally…?" He cooed, his hand slowly rising up over the girl's belly. Her eyes widened.

"Ohhhhh no…"

Before she could jump up and flee, Damian's hands came down, his fingers digging gently into her skin. Raven's body spasmed in response, and she slapped at Damian's chest as she giggled.

" _ **Damian!**_ _No, no, no no no! st_ _AH_ _ahahp!_ " Raven pleaded through her laughter as she wriggled, the two of them slowly rising into the air surrounded by her violet glow. "We're gonna wa- _hehehey_ \- wake up Dick and B _haha_ rbara!"

"Ahh, they'll be fine!" Damian grinned as his fingers made their way all over Raven's belly and sides. "You're not gettin' outta this!"

" _Stop iiiit! Ahh, nohohooo!_ " Raven squealed as she curled up, trying vainly to protect her ticklish spots from the boy. The two swirled out over the porch as Damian continued his onslaught, until finally Raven grabbed his face and took his lips with hers, Damian's hands freezing almost immediately. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her as they kissed, Raven's legs slowly coming up around him as the air around them began to sparkle with magic. They continued to twirl through the air as they kept on, and Raven carefully lapped at Damian's lips with her tongue. Damian's mind raced as his face flushed; he hadn't noticed it before, but her lips tasted like… like dewdrops on a spring morning.

"Ohhhhhhhh, Alfred is gonna _love_ this…"

Raven and Damian pulled away from each other immediately, and both turned to see Dick Grayson, still in his pajamas, holding up his phone recording them. Losing her focus, Raven dropped her and Damian unceremoniously back to the porch with a loud THUD, the purple lights vanishing as she turned bright red.

"How long have you been there, Grayson!?" Damian cried, hugging himself bashfully.

"Uhh, I walked out here at about 'watch your hands, I'm ticklish'…" Nightwing winked at his little brother. "So yeah, I got the whole thing."

"Delete that!" Damian leapt up and charged at Grayson, who took off running across the yard.

"Too late! Already sent it to Alfred!" Dick called over his shoulder as he sprinted around the open field. "Now eeeverybody's gonna know your secret: _Son of Batman, Tickle Monster!_ "

" _Get **back** here, Richard!"_

Raven stood up and tried to shake the blush away from her cheeks, when she felt a hand light upon her shoulder. She turned to see Barbara Gordon smiling back at her, her other hand resting on her rounded-out abdomen.

"I take it you're feeling a little better this morning?" The red-haired woman said with a smile.

Raven looked back down at her feet, her cheeks reddening yet again. "Y-yeah… you could say that…"

"Hey now, you two are welcome to stay as long as you need…" Barbara's hand shifted onto Raven's back. "And don't be embarrassed by all that. Dick likes to poke fun, it it's normal for you two to start acting so affectionate towards each other. He and I went through the same thing."

Raven smiled back at the Batgirl, and then looked down at her bump for a moment. "Umm… do… do you mind if I try something?" the mage-girl said timidly.

Barbara glanced down at her bump and smiled. "Sure, go ahead. Let me know what you hear."

Raven slowly brought her hand up to the bump, reaching in with her magic and feeling the presence of the child growing inside. As she tuned into Tommy's thoughts, Raven's eyes widened… through his growing mind echoed the sounds of his mother and father speaking to him. Again and again, Dick and Barbara's voices ran through the magical rift and into Raven's head, telling Tommy how much they loved him. Raven's eyes began to well up with tears as she pulled her hand away, wrapping her arms around Barbara's neck.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Barbara asked as she watched Dick and Damian wrestling in the yard over Dick's phone.

"It… it's you, Barbara…" Raven whispered, a smile on her face as tears rolled down her cheeks. "You and Dick, he… he can hear you."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

 _February 19th, 2018. 9:24 AM EST._

Damian leaned his head up against the window in the backseat of Dick's car as they made their way slowly down the road. Part of him deep down wished that he was back in Jump City in Titans Tower, getting back into the habit of patrolling his own city and handing the occasional smaller crime. But Dick had suggested they stay for another two weeks and come along to visit Bruce for his birthday, and how could he and Raven object to that?

He turned to his right, his eyes on the black-haired girl in the backseat beside him. Raven stared out the window as they drove, her eyes hanging half-open as she teetered on the edge of sleep. Damian smiled as her head began to droop for a moment, only to pop back up again as Raven struggled to stay awake.

" _You look tired,"_ Damian thought to her. Raven turned to face him and shrugged, a sleepy half-smile on her face.

" _A little bit, I guess…"_ the girl replied. _"I don't do good with cars. Always get drowsy."_

" _I didn't know that."_ Damian smirked as he tilted his head to the side, continuing their telepathic conversation. _"Seems like I've been learning a lot about you lately."_

" _And yet…"_ Raven cocked an eyebrow. _"You're still an enigma, Mr. Wayne."_

" _You're the one who can read people,"_ Damian taunted. _"If you wanna know something, just reach in and see for yourself."_

Raven nodded sleepily as she placed her hand on top of Damian's in the middle seat. Their hands glowed faintly for a moment, and they looked silently into each other's eyes for a moment. Suddenly, Raven smirked as her cheeks turned faintly red.

" _Ohhh,"_ she snipped teasingly. _"Damian, I didn't know you could dance!"_

" _What are you talking about?"_ The boy looked back at her quizzically. _"You've seen me dance before. That night at the Pier with that ridiculous dancing game …"_

" _No, not that kind of dancing…"_ Raven smiled curiously. _"I mean, like, slow-dancing. Like, fancy parties, ballrooms… that whole thing."_

" _Oh! Well… I figured I would need to pick it up at some point,"_ Damian shrugged, blushing slightly. _"Once Father went public about my identity, I'd probably be dragged along to all sorts of galas and such. I didn't want to embarrass myself like Dick did."_

" _Maybe you could teach me to dance sometime. I've always kind been curious about–"_ Raven stopped short as an image projected from Damian's mind into hers. She shot him a look, and he couldn't help but snicker. _"You really_ do _think it's cute, don't you, you dork?"_

" _I'm sorry, I couldn't resist."_ Damian winked, and the red in Raven's cheeks deepened. _"So when did you learn to play piano?"_

" _My mom started teaching me when I was a little girl,"_ Raven replied. _"After I came to Earth, I lived with my aunt in New York for awhile, and she got me a teacher. I wanted to keep learning, because it made me feel a little closer to her… y'know?"_

" _I get that…"_ Damian trailed off, his thoughts drifting towards the photograph she gave him at Christmas two years ago. Part of him wished he could have met Arella, but then another part of him wondered if he would be put off by who he was…

Raven squeezed his hand gently. _"Don't worry,"_ she assured him with a gentle smile. _"Mom would have loved you."_

" _Thanks, Raven…"_ Damian smiled back at her. _"It means a lot to hear that."_ Raven's irises swirled a little faster as she looked into Damian's eyes. Her eyelids still hung low over her eyes, and her mind began to drift. _"You want to go ahead and sleep for awhile before we get there?"_

" _Not really,"_ the girl shook her head. _"Keep talking to me, help me out here. Okay?"_

" _Alright…"_ Damian searched in the back of his mind for a moment, trying to conjure up a good question. _"How long have you been a Titan?"_

" _I came to the Tower two years before you did…"_ Raven let out a quiet yawn. _"It was funny… Nightwing was visiting Kori the day they took me in. There was so much going on between them, I had to go straight to my room to keep from getting overwhelmed by all the vibes they were giving off."_

" _Two years before me…"_ Damian nodded. _"He and Barbara had decided to take a break, see other people for awhile. I remember Dick didn't exactly handle it very well… he was pretty invested in their relationship. I guess when she left, he reached out to Kori for someone to latch onto while he was hurting."_

" _That's… wow,"_ Raven thought, glancing up at Dick with pity. _"That's really sad."_

" _Oh no._ That _wasn't the sad part,"_ Damian replied, rolling his eyes. _"The pitiful part was that he still kept that picture of her on the mirror the whole time they were split up."_ Damian pointed to the overhead visor above Dick's head, where a photograph of Barbara was held in place by a paperclip. _"He also had the same picture beside his bed in his apartment. He spent a lot of nights crying himself to sleep looking at it… he could put on a convincing show, make everyone think he moved on just fine. But whenever he was alone at night… it tore him apart."_

" _Poor Dick…"_ Raven paused for a moment. _"… Poor Kori… I'm happy for Dick and Barbara, now that they've figured everything out, but… I can feel something pulling at Kori whenever somebody mentions Dick. For Tamaraneans, affection never ends… she still loves Dick."_

" _I figured she probably did. I've seen the look she gets when he comes up in conversation…"_ Damian's eyes turned to the pregnant woman in the passenger seat. _"But I think Dick knew deep down it would end with Barbara. That's just how it is for him… it's always been Barbara. Despite everything, it's always been her."_

Damian looked back to Raven. His eyes lingered on her face, where he could just barely see the tip of the scar on her forehead poking out underneath her ebony hair, which cascaded like black silk down her shoulder, sitting bare where her hoodie had slid down her arm, revealing her smooth grey skin. Damian glanced back up to her lips, and his thoughts shifted back to that morning several weeks ago. Something was different about that kiss that morning. Sure, they'd kissed plenty of times before, but this time was different… this time he noticed things about her he hadn't noticed before. The feel of her back under his fingertips, the warmth of her legs around his, the taste that her lips left on his… It was somewhat disconcerting to him, but Damian couldn't help but notice that he had begun to make more physical observations about her, as opposed to the personal things he'd been learning about her up until this point. But that morning, the 25th, that was the tipping point. Raven was a fascinating creature, and he found himself craving further intimacy with her; after he noticed her taste for the first time, it felt as if the rules of the game had changed, and he'd stepped into a world with many more facets than the one he remembered… his cheeks turned vermilion as his eyes shot back to his window, and a sense of shame washed over him. How could he let his thoughts become so crass? He was a Wayne! Heir to the mantle of the Dark Knight! He should be above such baser instincts…

" _You don't to feel embarrassed, Damian…"_ Raven's finger began to trace little circles into the back of Damian's hand as he looked back at her, wide-eyed with surprise. _"That kind of thinking is normal for people our age. You have nothing to be ashamed of."_ Raven looked back at him, a shy half-smile on her face.

" _H… how much of that did I… did I let you hear?"_ Damian could feel his ears burning with embarrassment.

" _All of it…"_ the mage-girl looked down as she ran her finger slowly up Damian's arm. _"I feel it, too, y'know. I want to be more… y'know. Intimate. I mean, not like…"_

" _Oh, of course not!"_ Damian piped up, realizing what she meant. _"Not that. But… yeah. I feel like…"_

" _Yeah,"_ Raven looked back up at Damian. _"It's just… it makes me nervous, that's all."_

Damian nodded in agreement. _"But… maybe we should try stepping out of our comfort zones. A little bit at a time."_

The clouds in Raven's irises began to slow their billowing as she looked back at him lovingly. _"Yeah… I agree."_

"Ugh, just **kiss** already!"

Damian and Raven both snapped back to reality as the turned, seeing Dick and Barbara grinning cheekily back at them… with Bruce leaning in through Dick's window, smirking back at them as well.

"Uhh…" Damian looked out his window to see that they were parked outside the mansion. "… Dick, how long have we been sitting here?"

"Five minutes," Bruce answered smugly. "And from what Dick says, you two have been sitting back there making eyes at one another for at least ten."

Damian leaned back into his seat and groaned, his face completely red. Raven turned back to her window, her face just as red as his.

Dick chuckled as he looked at the two teens in the backseat. "Well… Happy Birthday, Bruce."

 _Titans Tower, Jump City. February 19th, 2018. 6:37 AM PST._

Jon dangled his feet over the edge of the Tower as he watched the first beams of sunlight appear over the horizon. It was strange, not having Damian and Raven with him this morning. They'd been watching the sunrise together for so long now, it had just become part of his morning ritual. But with the two of them still in Gotham, Jon was left to take in the morning all by himself. It wasn't like it was unbearable, but he had to admit he had been a little lonely.

"Hey… Jon, right?"

Jon turned to see Will Batson walking up behind him, a yellow scarf poking out from the top of his thick red coat.

"Hey, Will…" Jon nodded in acknowledgment as he stood up to greet the Leaguer. "How come you're not back in Fawcett?"

"I figured I'd hang around with you guys a little longer," Will replied, his breath visible in the cold morning. "It's nice getting to hang with people my own age for once."

"Well, you COULD just join the Titans, bail on the League altogether," Jon said with a wink.

"Nahhh, no way." Will waved off the notion with his hand. "Once you've been in the Justice League, you don't ever look back."

"Y'know, I heard Cyborg said the exact same thing!" Jon turned back to the sunrise. Will stepped up to the edge of the Tower, peering down over the edge all the way to the ground below. He grinned at he felt his stomach drop, then looked over to Jon.

"Hey, Jon…" Will cocked an eyebrow as he spoke. "… wanna see something crazy?"

Jon tilted his head to the side slightly. "Ummm… okay?"

Without another word, Will held his hands out, closed his eyes, and leaned forward, dropping right over the edge of the Tower and hurdling towards the ground below.

" _Will!"_ Jon cried out at the top of his lungs as he leapt from the Tower, rocketing towards the plummeting teenager as fast as his powers would let him. "Will, take my hand! You're gonna be alri–"

" **Shazam!** "

With a blinding flash of light, Will vanished, and Captain Thunder swirled through the air, pulling up inches before hitting the ground, Jon following suit. The pair of them tore through the sky for a moment before lighting back onto the roof.

"Ugh…" Thunder groaned, shaking his head in annoyance. "I _really_ need to stop doing that…"

Jon raised an eyebrow in surprise at his friend's newfound demeanor. "W… what makes you say that? It looks like you were having fun."

"That's because as Will Batson, I can ignore the obvious fact that I could very well get myself killed pulling a stunt like that." the hero put his fists on his hips, standing tall as he looked over to Jon. "But as Captain Thunder, the Wisdom of Solomon urges me to think more rationally, and not take such unnecessary risks for the sake of self-entertainment."

"Well… good." Jon shook his hair out before looking back up at Thunder. "… you scared me."

"Yeah, sorry about that. **Shazam.** " Another crash of lightning later, Will Batson was back to normal, and headed for the elevator. "You comin' inside?"

"Yeah, just gimme a sec…" Jon pulled out his phone and took a picture of the horizon, the sun's beams peering through the purple haze of morning. "Gonna send this to Dame and Rae, let 'em know I hope she gets better soon."

As Will and Jon descended into the Tower, a vibration came from Jon's pocket. He went to check his phone, and smiled when he saw the picture message: an oh-so-rare Damian Wayne selfie, with what looked like his father's courtyard in the background, and his face pressed up against Raven's, both of them beaming.

" _We'll be home soon, Jonno!"_

 _Wayne Manor, Gotham City. February 19th, 2018. 12:14 PM EST._

Damian sat in the floor of the family room with an old photo album in his lap, with Raven, Bruce, Carrie, and Alfred sitting all around him. It had become something of a tradition each year when Bruce's birthday rolled around to crack open the album and add to it, while also looking back over the events in recent Wayne history. At first the album was a private project of Alfred's, but on Bruce's 30th birthday he happened to walk in on Alfred adding photos of himself and Dick (who was just starting out as Robin at the time) to the later pages of the book, and sat down to look through it with him. Now they did this every year… and whenever someone new came into their fold, they flipped all the way back to 1968, where the album began with Alfred's career as butler to Thomas and Martha Wayne. This year, there were two new members of Bruce's little family: Raven and Carrie. Alfred had gathered up plenty of photographs (some taken himself, others sent by friends and loved ones) to add for each of them.

"Ah, there he is!" the old butler exclaimed. "That was the first night Master Jason ever went on patrol as Robin. Oh, he was so excited…"

Damian let out a chuckle as he looked back at Carrie. "See this, Kelley? _This_ is why Robins are supposed to cover their legs."

Carrie couldn't help laughing at poor little Jason, standing proud in his little glorified green panties. "Y'know what? I totally get it now." Everyone laughed at that one as Damian flipped the page.

"Oh, jeez…" Raven muttered quietly at the photograph before them. "Is that…"

"Yeah, that was Jason's grave," Bruce sighed. "We're fortunate that he wasn't actually around to fill it…"

"Indeed," Alfred added, casting his gaze down to the bottom of the next page. "By… by God, look how _young_ Master Timothy was!" He pointed to a photo of Tim and Stephanie on the roof of some building in Blüdhaven, from back when Tim was still Robin.

"Hey, I remember that day!" Bruce said with a smile. "Tim had just gotten out of school for the summer, so we decided to take a day. By the end of it, he and Steph had run off somewhere…"

"Just couldn't stay mad at 'em, huh?" Carrie looked over her shoulder at Bruce.

Bruce shrugged. "Tim never gave me a reason to be angry too often," he said. "Everything he did had a purpose to it."

"Except for his sleeping habits, I should say…" Alfred grumbled.

"Okay, _that_ is a good point," Damian said with a smirk as he flipped the page. When Raven looked down to the next page of photos, she had to stifle a laugh when she saw a photo of a ten-year-old Damian, covered in what looked like blood with a stern look on his face, standing proudly in front of a cow.

"Okay, hold on…" the poor girl couldn't fight back the grin spreading across her face. "I know you've mentioned _Batcow_ to me before, but I thought you were kidding!"

Damian let out a dramatic gasp, smirking back at the Girl. "I would _never_ joke about Batcow!" The young Wayne cried out. "She is the terror…"

"… _that_ _ **moos**_ _in the night!"_ Everyone exclaimed together before breaking out in laughter. Damian looked down at the next page, and was surprised to see a photo of him and Raven at Pier 64 shortly after he joined the Titans, sitting at a table conversing over a cone of cotton candy.

"I didn't know anyone had any photos from that night…" Damian said quietly, thinking back to that conversation. His cheeks turned red as he turned to Raven, who was also blushing.

"Kori had her camera out the whole time…" Raven shrugged, looking up into Damian's eyes. "She sent me this picture not long after everything settled down a few days later."

Damian smiled. "I'm glad she got this picture…" He slipped a hand into Raven's. "That conversation is one I look back on pretty fondly."

"Again… just **kiss** already, you two." Everyone looked up to see Dick and Barbara walk into the family room. Damian shook his head smiling.

"I'm not to keen on doing something so rambunctious in front of my own father, Richard," the younger Wayne said with a wink. "My standards must be just a tad higher than yours."

"Master Damian, putting aside the fact that you just used the word _'rambunctious'_ unironically…" Alfred commented wryly (to which Damian blushed a bit more), "… both your father and I have watched you break a man's neck before. You said it was 'fun'. You are, in all honesty, the _worst_ example of behavioral standards in this room."

Damian's face flushed at the butler's statement. Dick, grinning smugly, held up his phone up over the photo album. "Y'know, if you don't want to do it now, I can always just play the video…"

" _Nope!"_ Damian shouted as he snatched Nightwing's phone up and deleted the video.

" **Dude!** " Dick swiped the phone back in anger. "Why would you–"

"Not to worry, Master Richard," Alfred sighed, an eyebrow cocked as he pulled out his own phone. "I have the video right here."

 _Oh no…_ Damian thought. _Dick's phone was one thing. But I can't touch Alfred's, or I'm a dead man._

Damian went to look to Raven for support, but by the time he'd locked eyes with her, she already had her hands on either side of his face, and pulled him in for a kiss. Before we could even react, Raven pulled away and threw her hood up, leaving Damian flustered and embarrassed. Everyone cheered (except for Bruce, who could see how uncomfortable the two were), and Alfred slowly put his phone away.

"Okay, maybe that was a little much…" Dick put his hands on Raven and Damian's shoulders. "But trust me, it gets easier with practice."

"Dick, leave the kids alone," Barbara snipped at her fiancé. "You'll have plenty of time to embarrass children when Tommy is born."

Dick stood back up, walking over to the Batgirl and planting one right on her cheek. "Yes, ma'am."

After a moment of Damian rubbing little circles into her back, Raven pulled her hood back off, and the seven of them continued flipping through the pages of Alfred's photo album. Something about it was almost cathartic; after everything they'd been through — brainwashing, deaths in the family, the literal coming of Satan — it was important for them to look back on the memories they held closest to their hearts. Tea with Alfred on a Sunday morning, Tommy's ultrasounds, Carrie at the fair with her school friends, and plenty of sunrises over Jump City. Little moments in time that made the rest worthwhile. That's what it's all about, right?


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

 _Somewhere in Louisiana. February 23th, 2018. 10:38 PM._

Damian and Raven walked down the street of the little bayou town, killing time before they went back to their hotel. They had managed to reserve a room for the night (under false names, of course, to distance themselves from their true identities should anyone recognize them as Red X and Raven; they called themselves _"Thad and Rachel Grey"_ , and most everyone around assumed they were brother and sister. They snickered at the confused looks they got when Damian responded to such assumptions with a quick peck on Raven's cheek), but the both of them decided to explore a bit before shoving off to bed, seeing as how, aside from the mountains, Azarath, and Hell, neither of them had ever been so far from an urban environment before.

"Okay, I have to ask…" Damian began, "I've heard you mention that people call you Rachel before. What's that all about?"

"Rachel is…" Raven shook her head. "Ugh, it sounds so bizarre saying it like this… for lack of a better term, Rachel is my _'Earth-name'_. My actual birth-name is Raven Roth, yes; that's the name my mother gave me when I was born. After I escaped from my father, I found my Aunt Alice, and she called me Rachel. Everyone called me Rachel from then on, but I held onto my real name deep down… y'know, for my mom.

"Then when I was eleven, I was discovered by a sorcerer — Zatarra. He took me in, and he and his daughter Zatanna helped me to better understand Azar's gift… and I appreciated the fact that, from then on, I went back to being called Raven. Then after a year of learning all I could from him and his daughter, they brought me to Titans Tower, and Kori took me in… at some point after that, Zatarra became Doctor Fate, and Zatanna and I lost touch. I spent the next two years as Kori's student, learning 'Superhero 101' with Jaime and Gar. Then you came along, and… well, the rest is history."

Raven turned curiously to Damian. "So what about you, huh? 'Thad Grey'? What's that from?"

Damian smirked, putting his arm around Raven's waist as they walked. "Nothing quite as personal as your story, I'll say that much," the Titan said tauntingly. "'Thad' is short for Thaddeus, Alfred's middle name, and 'Grey' I took from Grayson, which, as you know, is Nightwing's last name." He paused for a moment, then remembered. "I _do_ actually have another name though… although I've more or less left it behind."

Raven looked over at him. "What was it? If you're okay with me asking."

Damian's face shifted into a more solemn expression. "When I was first born, my gr… _Ra's_ decided to call me _'Ibn al Xu'ffasch'_." The boy scowled as the name escaped his lips. He'd not uttered the name in years. He glanced over to Raven, who was watching him curiously. "… it's Arabic. It literally just means 'Son of the Bat'. Because that's what I was… the offspring of the first man for generations that Ra's deemed a worthy successor. The genetically perfect heir to the mantle of the Demon's Head… but fortunately for me, after hearing the name out loud, Mother insisted I be given a name in my father's tongue as well. Hence, I was given the name Damian Wayne.

"Growing up, it confused me… many of the members of the League spoke fluent English, and hence referred to me has either 'Damian', 'Honorable Grandson', or something to that effect… some even called me _'Prince Damian'_ , which is funny to think about, considering I had no actual empire to inherit. But for most of my life, Ra's was insistent on referring to me only as Ibn, as were most of the Arabic-speaking members of the League. But when I turned eight, I made it very clear that Damian was my chosen name. Then when I was ten, Deathstroke betrayed and murdered Ra's, and I was sent to live with my father. I worked with him for three years as Robin, and after one particular ordeal with the Justice League (which I _totally resolved_ , might I add), Father made me join the Titans."

"And again…" Raven added with a smile, "we both remember the rest."

Damian grinned as he pulled Raven closer, pressing his lips to her cheek. "Yeah, we do," he continued, a playful lull in his voice. "Met a cute witch-girl, went to the Pier, found out her father was the Devil…"

"Fought your dead grandfather to _save_ her from the Devil, gave her a shoulder rub, _killed_ the Devil…" Raven added.

"Cut a werewolf's arm off, helped one of Deathstroke's slaves get her freedom, got a new suit…" Damian went on.

"Brought the cute witch-girl home for Thanksgiving to meet your family, **finally** kissed her over the holidays, then brought your whole team home to beat the biggest bad guy in your hometown." Raven concluded, planting a kiss on Damian's cheek as they stopped walking. "Anything we left out?"

"Well, then the cute witch-girl and I started hitchhiking across to country to get home, for some insane reason," Damian replied teasingly, wrapping both his arms around his beloved's waist. "Although I guess that part isn't quite history yet."

Raven smiled back at him, her arms sliding around his neck. "No, not yet," she sighed. "But it's certainly been a good time so far."

Damian's face softened as he leaned in, touching his forehead softly to hers. "Yeah… yeah, it has."

The two let their eyes drift shut as they pulled closer to one another, their lips connecting in a way that invoked a feeling in their bodies that, while now rather familiar to them, still caused them to tingle head-to-toe in excitement. Damian's arms snaked further around Raven's waist as he pulled her in, gently holding her body against his as their lips continued to slowly dance back and forth, back and forth. Raven tilted her head just barely as she leaned in further, and her cheeks grew warmer as she timidly flicked her tongue over Damian's lips. His hands beginning to tremble, Damian allowed his lips to open up just enough, his own tongue sliding forth and meeting hers in her mouth. His cheeks flushed as he recognized her taste… although studying it more intently, Damian realized that she tasted more like rain. Not Gotham rain, which brought on an air of sorrow, but… more like rain over an open field, the kind of rain that seemed to wash away all the guilt in his soul, all the regret that was gathered up in his heart. Their tongues continued to swirl together tenderly, pulling the both of them into a state of euphoria as it dimmed their minds to the world around them, until it seemed as if they were all that remained. Everything else was a dream, but he was real. She was real. And this moment was very, _very_ real.

They carried on for a few seconds, and then slowly pulled their lips apart to draw breath. A single strand of saliva stretched between their mouths, the two went beet red as Damian wiped it away, gently running his thumb across Raven's bottom lip. His eyes lingered there for a moment, zeroed in on the soft strip of flesh that poked out ever-so-slightly before his eyes. It wasn't until this point that they noticed the amethyst lights in the air, swirling around them as if dancing through the air.

"I…" Raven whispered, her heart racing. "I think I've had enough of wandering around town for tonight…"

"I agree…" Damian's head sank into Raven's shoulder, and he placed a few small kisses along her neck. "I'm getting tired… let's go on to the room and call it a day."

In an instant, Raven pulled her Damian into the shadows beneath their feet, and they emerged in their hotel room. Damian stumbled, dizzy from the experience of his first shadow-melding, and let himself fall back onto the twin-sized bed beside him. Damian had to admit, it would take a few more days to readjust to a smaller mattress after being in Gotham for so long. But right now, he was just grateful that the bed was there to hold him up, as he hazily turned just in time to watch Raven disappear behind the bathroom door.

After Damian had showered and dressed down into his sleepwear (even _he_ knew he was spoiled when he looked at the black satin outfit in the mirror), he walked out of the bathroom to find Raven lying on the bed, her eyes fluttering over the pages of Tolkien's Unfinished Tales. Damian let a tired smile spread across his face as he noticed the blue satin gown draped over her light-grey skin, with thin straps suspending the loose garment from her shoulders, and a subtle frill around the bottom trim which rested at her mid-thigh. Alfred had it made just for her, along with nine more exactly like it, not long after they left after their visit for Thanksgiving. The old caretaker had called it a "late Christmas present" when she found them laid out in her room at the Manor last month, although later she and Damian realized that they were more of a "welcome to the family present". After another moment of reading, Raven smiled as she looked up to meet his icy blue eyes, and set her book on the nightstand beside her.

"I swear, these sleeping outfits would be the best thing I ever wore…" Raven began as she pulled the covers out from under her, drawing them up over her legs, "if they didn't leave my legs so cold."

Damian chuckled as he slipped under the covers beside her. "Well, I assure you that they're probably the most expensive items in your wardrobe," he replied. "I've seen how much these things cost, and it's absolutely _flooring_."

Raven let out a quiet giggle as she rolled over to face him. "Well, it means a lot to me that Alfred went to the trouble of…" the young mage had to stop short as a yawn slowly drifted out of her mouth. "… oh wow, I really _am_ worn out."

Damian yawned as well, rubbing a hand over his closed eyes as he did so. "Same here… but before we both pass out, I have one more question…" he pointed over to the balcony, where a bird covered in jet-black feathers perched on the stone railing. "Do raven's just sort of follow you around? Or is that a dumb thing to ask?"

"Baby, c'mon. There's no such thing as a stupid question… except for ' _so your mom did it with Satan_ '," Raven smirked as she lazily looked over her shoulder at the bird outside before turning back and sliding her arms around her Damian. "But no, ravens don't follow me around… and that's not a raven. It's a crow."

"Ah…" Damian smiled as he slid in closer, letting his own arms slither back around Raven's waist. "Well, my tutors in the League of Assassins never thought to instruct me in the sacred art of ornithology…"

"I got curious when I was little, so Aunt Alice got me a bird book…" Raven blushed faintly as her nose brushed up against his. "Now all I can remember is the difference between crows, ravens, and blackbirds."

"Well, you'll have to tell me all about it sometime," Damian sighed as he watched Raven's irises slowly swirl within themselves. "… I love you."

Raven's eyes softened as she looked back at him endearingly. "… I love you too."

Raven switched off the lamp by their bed with her powers (Azar would forgive), and the two brought their lips together once more, each pulling the other in closer as they kissed. Damian welcomed the taste of rain again for a brief moment before they pulled away. They both sighed softly, and kept their eyes closed, letting themselves become breathe in the essence of the one in their arms.

"Goodnight, Ms. Roth."

"Goodnight, Mr. Wayne."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

 _? February 26th, 2018. 2:31 PM._

The old pickup rumbled over the worn asphalt as it drifted along down the highway. Raven sat in the bed, loose straws of hay in her hair, and gazed out at the fields of wheat that seemed to stretch on forever before her. She looked down at her Damian, sleeping soundly as he laid out next to her, mostly buried underneath the pile of hay. His head rested soundly in her lap, and Raven smiled softly as she watched the corners of his lips twitch as he dreamed. Despite the wind blowing all around them, Raven could still pick out his scent in the air. She didn't understand how or why, but Damian always smelled like trees… like trees that stood tall in autumn. Raven couldn't understand how or why, but she loved it. It didn't take long for it to smell like home. As Raven let her eyes drift to Damian's lips, her mind wandered to his taste… she couldn't quite explain it. It was almost like smoke that hung on her lips, like she were kissing a fire in the winter. It seemed unreal, an unnatural taste that no human should ever produce… but then again, there was no human quite like Damian Wayne.

Slowly, Damian began to stir awake, his eyes fluttering softly as he came out of his dreaming. She ran her thumb gently across his cheek, and he smiled up at her before pulling himself into an upright position, hay flying out of the truck bed as he turned around to face her. He slipped his hand into hers, and smiled back into her eyes as he pulled himself as much as he could out of his drowsiness.

"Any idea where we're at now?" Damian asked. Raven glanced around at the fields surrounding them and shrugged.

"I couldn't tell you," the half-demon replied. "Coms and phone have been out of service for a while. We're gonna have to just make our way to the nearest town and reroute ourselves from there… and if we keep passing through nowhere like we've been doing all day, it's starting to look like we'll have to stop for the night."

Damian threw his head back and groaned. "That sucks…" he murmured. "Remind me to call Kori whenever we get a signal. I wanna make sure the others are getting back to it."

Raven looked down at the little mounds of hay around them before resting their joined hands on her leg. "Damian…" she said under her breath. "… Damian, have you ever thought about kids?"

Damian cocked an eyebrow, still trying to blink the tiredness from his eyes. "Wow, that's… kind of a lot to drop on a guy after he just woke up."

The mage girl looked away, her face going red again. "I'm sorry… I didn't–"

"No, no, no!" Damian put his other hand on Raven's knee. "Raven, you know you can ask me anything. You just caught me off-guard, that's all."

Raven looked back to the boy, her irises shimmering with the faintest hints of light. "I mean… not necessarily having kids of your own, but just…"

Damian's lips slid into a knowing half-smile. "Raven. Come on. I'm no empath, but you know I can feel your heart almost as much as you can feel mine. And I know that's what you wanted to ask."

Raven's cheeks burned as she fought back against the bashful grin trying to spread across her face. "Damian…"

"Well, if I'm being honest, the thought had never occurred to me until recently…" Damian looked down and began absently tracing little hearts into Raven's knee with his free hand. "I mean… I never thought I would have time to raise a child myself. But…" His fingers slowly trailed up her leg and began fiddling with the hem of her skirt. "… well, you changed how I think about things. I… I think I could picture myself settling down, starting a family."

Raven looked back up at Damian, her blushing now dimmed down just barely. "… So could I."

Damian lifted his eyes to hers, his fingers going still as a teasing smirk weaseled its way onto his lips. "And to be clear… you mean with me, right?"

Raven grinned, slapping at his shoulder playfully as he snickered. _"Dork."_

Damian chuckled as he put his arm around her, pulling her into his lap as they leaned back against the pile of hay behind him. "I think… I think I'd want a girl," he whispered into her ear, slipping his arms around her waist. "One that looks like you."

Raven turned to look back into Damian's eyes, her lips parting just barely. Damian's eyes dropped back to her mouth for a moment, and Raven gently bit her lower lip. The Son of Batman felt his spine shiver, and a breath he didn't noticed he'd held onto hissed out of his throats as he leaned in, gently taking her lips with his. Raven's hand found its way to Damian's chest, and it gripped softly at his shirt as she pulled her mouth away; he hadn't noticed it, but she felt the truck slowing down. The two of them were swallowed up in darkness for a moment, and the next moment Damian found himself lying in a wheat field, with Raven hanging over him, her knees on either side of his stomach. He grabbed his head in a daze, squeezing his eyes shut as he groaned.

" _Please_ warn me next time you do that…" he moaned. Raven slowly lowered herself onto him, holding herself up on her elbows as she ran her fingers into his hair.

"Sorry, baby…" she cooed down at him. "I know, you aren't used to it yet."

After a moment, Damian let his eyes open up to see his Raven's eyes looking down into his, her hair hanging down around his face. "So, what about you?" He smiled up at her. "Would you want a boy or a girl?"

"I don't really know…" Raven brought her head down and pressed her lips against his forehead. "But if we were to have one… I'd want them to look like you."

Damian grinned, his arms sliding into place around Raven. "Well, we'll just have to wait and see what happens down the line. Won't we?"

Raven smirked, not saying another word as she brought her lips down onto his.

 _Titans Tower, Jump City. February 26th, 2018. 3:34 PM._

"Come on, Jonathan! Get back up!"

Jon found himself on his hands and knees in the training room, drenched in sweat. It was a good thing he didn't train in his costume, or he'd probably have to go out and buy a new jacket… which, frankly, he couldn't afford. He slowly pushed himself shakily back to his feet, and looked up to see Starfire standing tall and ready not to far in front of him. When it came to training with his powers, Ms. Kori was really the only one who could handle him. But as it turns out, that was quite the steep curve for Jon to overcome; he may have the genetic potential to be the most powerful member of the team, but Ms. Kori had been doing this sort of thing for years. She knew how to tap into the full potential of her powers, whereas Jon was still getting the hang of having powers at all.

"Alright, let's try it again," the Tamaranean said, crouching down to prepare for Jon's first move. He complied once more, rocketing forward faster than a speeding bullet. But Kori's reflexes were astounding, and she quickly shifted out of the way of his fist, grabbing him by the leg and tossing him into the air. Jon recovered, trying to shoot back down with his heel fast enough to surprise his teacher and land a hit. Kori, however, proved once again to be smarter than he, as she nimbly hopped out of the way, launching herself back with a kick directly into Jon's chest. He careened back into the wall, leaving a sizable crack where he collided with the concrete, before dropping back to the mat. This was pointless; Jon simply couldn't act fast enough to anticipate Starfire's moves.

"Back on your feet, Jonathan!" Kori ordered. "You've almost got it!" Jon's limbs shook under his weight, and he dropped back to the mat.

"I can't… I just can't do it, Ms. Kori…" Jon grunted as he pulled himself to his knees. Kori began walking towards him.

"I won't accept that, Jonathan," Kori stood over him, her expression stern as her stare bore down on him. "We're Titans. Titans don't say 'I can't.' Titans push through until they can."

"I'm sorry, I just…" Jon clenched his fists in frustration, his teeth grit. "I'm giving it everything I have, I just can't do it… I'm not fast enough."

"This isn't how a Titan talks!" Starfire was adamant, refusing to let him rest. This wasn't working. "What would your father say right now?"

Jon stopped for a second when the words left Kori's mouth. His brow slowly began to furrow. "… Stop talking about my dad, Ms. Kori."

Kori crossed her arms. "Superman never said 'I can't,' and he never gave up on anything," she carried on. "How can you let yourself cut corners where he won't?"

"I'm telling you, you need to _stop it…_ " Jon growled, his fists beginning to quake. A flash of red sparked from his eyes. "Leave my dad _out of it…!_ "

Kori would not let up. "Jonathan, you can do this! I've seen you fight before!" She glared down at the hybrid at her feet. "You're every bit as capable of accomplishing amazing things as your father!"

Jon snapped. His eyes shot up to meet Starfire's, glowing bright red.

" _ **I SAID STOP IT!"**_

Before either of them could blink, Jon's right fist bolted upwards faster than lightning, driving right into Kori's gut. And audible boom could be heard a split second later in reaction to Jon's punch breaking the sound barrier. A brief second later, Kori stumbled back and grabbed at her stomach, doubling over in pain. When he realized what he'd done, Jon threw his hands over his mouth in shock.

" _Ms. Kori!_ " Jon cried, rushing to her side. "Ms. Kori, I'm so sorry! Here, let me help you up–"

Kori's eyes shot up to meet Jon's. "That's it…" She took the young hybrid by his shoulders, a look of sheer excitement displayed across her face. "Jonathan, that's _it!_ "

Jon stood staring back at the Tamaranean, an eyebrow cocked out of confusion. "Ummm… what's what?"

"That's the secret!" Kori exclaimed, rising to her feet. "That's how you get to your strongest point! My powers grow stronger when I'm confident; your powers grow stronger when you're _angry_!"

Jon blinked several times, processing this information. "… do you really think so, Ms. Kori?"

"Absolutely!" Starfire leapt back to the other side of the mat. "So if we want to push your limits and make you stronger… we're going to have to get you riled up!"

Jon hesitated for a moment before shifting into stance. "… I don't think I like where this is going…"

 _Just outside of Jump City. March 3rd, 2018. 3:45 PM._

Damian and Raven looked out from beside their pond at the familiar cityscape that lay before them. It had taken some time doing it the way they did it, but they were finally home. At the beginning of their trip, Damian had honestly wished they could buy a plane ticket home, and even made an attempt to convince Raven that they should. But Raven had her heart set on taking the long way home, hitchhiking their way across the entire country to get back to California from Gotham. And by the end of their journey, Damian was actually disheartened that it was already over. Part of him didn't want to go back to regular life; part of him wanted to stay on the road with her forever. And he suspected that part of her wanted to do the same.

But of course, life isn't all kisses and road trips. The time had come to go back to the Tower, and settle back into their routine of keeping Jump City safe. Still, it was an interesting ride… Damian found his mind wandering to a certain possible future, in which he and Raven decided to hang up their capes, raise a few children, and live a normal life together (at least, as normal a life as one can lead as the CEO of one of the world's most powerful companies). Had it been a year or so ago, Damian would have dropped the notion like a hot potato; his life was devoted to justice, he could never stop fighting for what he believed in.

Of course, a year or so ago, he didn't count on being happy.

Damian looked over at his beloved Raven. She had her hood pulled up, probably to avoid anyone in the city seeing her face. They were close enough to the city now that such a concern was valid, since… well, they lived here. People knew them here. Raven was on a first-name basis with the staff at the city library (well, they still called her Rachel, but she knew all of their names). She looked exhausted, which was understandable; they'd been walking for most of the day. But she smiled up at the city they called home, and she looked ready to sleep in her own bed again.

"Good to be back, isn't it?" the Son of Batman sighed, putting his arm around her.

"Mm…" Raven nodded before turning to her Damian. "Damian, these past few days have been…"

"Painful for your feet?" Damian winked, Raven laughed.

"They've been uplifting," she went on. "They've been some of the best days I've ever had… thank you for being there with me."

"I wouldn't have missed it," Damian replied, gently placing a hand on her cheek. "We have to do it again someday. Just you and me, wandering like that…"

"We really do." Raven smiled lovingly back at the boy, her violet eyes glowing under the shadow of her hood.

Damian paused for a moment. His heart skipped a beat as a thought popped into his head. Should he… should he do it _now_? After the incredible experience they just had, he considered… his hand reached slowly for the pocket in his belt with the little black box inside…

"Raven…" he stammered, reaching up and pulling her hood off of her head so he could see her face a little bit better. "Raven, I–"

He stopped. Something was wrong. He felt as if someone had pushed on his chest… Raven hadn't moved, so what was it? He meant to ask her, but all she could do was hang her mouth open and stare down at his chest. Confused, he looked down at himself. There was a hole in his uniform. _How did that get there…?_

This was when the colors began to fade; slowly, everything began to fade to grey. But the fade was gradual enough that he only really noticed when he put his fingers to the hole in his uniform. When he pulled them away, his gloved hand was covered in some grey liquid… it was only upon looking back at Raven that he realized the liquid on his hand wasn't grey at all.

His whole body went limp.

Raven caught him, holding him tightly in her arms.

Everything went black.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

 _Titans Tower, Jump City. March 3rd, 2018. 5:23 PM._

Kori sat on her bed, looking down at the tablet in her hands. She knew better than to go digging up old business, but still she sat and stared down at the photo on the screen. There in the photograph, looking back at her, was a much younger Tamaranean girl, her emerald eyes brimming with excitement. In her arms holding the camera was a black-haired boy in a green mask, with gloves and boots of the same color, and a red tunic, his yellow cape billowing behind them as they flew over the city below. Starfire and Robin had been inseparable when she arrived on Earth. She shouldn't have been so naïve… she swiped left across the screen, and the photo moved aside for another one, which Dick had posted on his Facebook this morning… looking into the camera was a beautiful auburn-haired woman, glasses over her blue eyes, lying on her bed with one hand holding a book, the other resting on her round abdomen. _"This is what home looks like,"_ the caption read.

Barbara Gordon. The Batgirl next door.

Don't misunderstand, Kori loved Barbara dearly. She was caring, and she understood how hard it was for Kori after Dick left. But the romantic affections of a Tamaranean were not the same as those of a human. Humans had the capacity to find love in another if something caused an end to their connection with someone. But for a Tamaranean, that love was undying… once formed, it was nigh impossible to sever. She would always love Barbara… but she should always _love_ Dick.

They talked about it once. Only once. Dick knew that Kori would always feel something for him, and it killed him to think about it. He felt responsible for what she was feeling, but what could he do? He wasn't going to lead her on, and he knew that his heart belonged to Barbara. It hurt more than anything she'd ever felt before, but she smiled. She told him it was okay. That it wasn't his fault. Barbara made him happy, and he made Barbara happy. They belonged together. Dick pulled her close, and Kori could still remember how cold his tears felt on her shoulder. He told her she was the best friend he ever had, that there would always be a place in his heart for her. There were days that she wondered if those words were true. But deep down, Kori knew that, while Dick Grayson was many things, he was not a liar. He and Barbara never once did anything to make her feel unwelcome. _X'hal_ , the three of them spent last Christmas together, and it had been one of her fondest memories of the past year. They were so good… so loving. They would be wonderful parents to Tommy.

Tommy... Tommy was all set to arrive in a month. Dick kept on saying he hoped the boy had his mother's red hair, that he'd come out looking just like her. But if anyone asked Barbara, she would just smile and say she wanted him to look like his father. Sometimes she would joke and say that she could feel the baby leaping around inside her, like a little acrobat. If he jumped like his daddy, odds are he'd look like him too. Personally, Kori agreed with Barbara.

While she was in Blüdhaven that Christmas, Barbara had come to her alone one night. She said that she and Dick understood how painful everything must have been. Dick didn't want to bring it up, for fear of digging up any hurt Kori had buried, but he and Barbara wanted to ask her to be Tommy's godmother. Kori couldn't say yes fast enough; she would love Tommy with all her heart, she promised. And in a way, thinking about holding the little boy in her arms it made everything a little bit easier. Her own little _bumgorf_ … Kori smiled. Dick always got this confused look on his face when she said anything in her native tongue.

As she let her mind drift back through memories of the early days of the Titans, she was quickly brought back to to the world around her by the sound of the front door alert going off. She slowly pulled herself off of her bed, and checked the console mounted in her wall to see who was trying to get inside.

Starfire let out a gasp as Raven appeared on the screen, hunched over and shaking profusely, covered in blood that, judging by her tattered uniform, was like lay her own, and a long trail of the red stuff on the ground behind her.

The older Titan flew as fast as she could through the Tower, and soon found herself joined by her students at the front door. She quickly entered the authorization code, and the doors slid open. Raven fell back through the doorway, her chest quickly rising and falling as she struggled to breathe.

" _Raven!_ " Kori cried as she gathered the girl into her arms. "What happened to you? Where is Damian?"

"He…" the cloaked girl struggled to speak as her eyes drifted closed. "… someone took him…"

 _Undisclosed location. March 7th, 2018. 3:14 AM._

Damian woke screaming, lurching forward in a panic. He quickly found that unwise, however, as he immediately felt cold iron bands digging into his wrists. His eyes darted all around him, taking in as much information as they could in the dimly lot space he found himself in: cast iron bars stood in place of one wall, and he was chained to the opposite wall, which was made of brick and mortar, and covered in a thick coat of dust. He thought back to the last thing he could remember: he knew he'd been shot. He was just outside of Jump City, and he turned to Raven to ask…

 _Oh God… Raven._

A light peered out from down the corridor just as the thought occurred to him, and a man appeared on the other side of the bars. His face was hidden beneath a mask, but the scope mounted on his eye was a dead giveaway of his identity: Floyd Lawton.

"Oh, good. You finally woke up," Deadshot mumbled. "You've been out for four days."

Damian slumped over, hung upright by the chains on his wrists, dead silent.

"Look, kid, this ain't anything personal…" the assassin went on. "And I hope you know I don't kill kids. That's a personal rule. I wouldn't have shot you if I didn't know you'd live. But for the price my client put on you? Well… sorry it had to hurt so bad. Bullet was filled with a tranquilizer, so you prob'ly passed out before the pain hit you."

Damian raised his head, his eyes wide with fear.

"… I need the money for my baby girl. I hope you understand that." Lawton's voice showed a touch of sympathy as he spoke. "I know they're gonna put you through it down here. But I have to take care of my daughter." The hitman turned away from the bars and looked down at floor. "… my client should be here in a few weeks. I'm sorry it had to go down like this… I'll be back in a few hours to feed ya. Sit tight, kid." He started back down the hall, presumably towards the exit…

"… _Raven_."

Lawton stopped, turning back to the boy chained up in the cell. "Say again?"

Damian looked into the glowing red scope, where he knew Deadshot could see him. _"What… what did you do to my Raven…?"_

Lawton grimaced underneath his mask. "Oh… the girl…" he let out a hefty sigh. "My client sent a squad with me to make sure the job got done. Once I put one in your chest, she pulled it right back out, and looks like she closed up the hole too. I…" He shook his head. "They were already on her by the time I came to grab you. Nobody could have lived through that kinda beatin'. I wasn't gonna get into it, because they prob'ly woulda killed me too. I'm…" Lawton turned and walked back towards the exit. "I'm sorry."

Damian's whole body went completely numb. Raven was his silver lining. She was the woman he would hang up his cape for. She was the rain that washed the sins from his soul.

She was his life. She was his heart. She was his everything.

And now, she was dead.

 _Titans Tower, Jump City. March 11th, 2018. 1:34 AM._

"Jon…"

Raven squinted her eyes as the light flooded into her eyes. Judging by the IV needle she could feel in her arm, the constant beeping of her heart monitor, and the sight of a fresh change of clothes folded up on the mattress beside her, she put two and together to realize that she was back in the Tower Infirmary. Superboy sat unconscious in a chair by her bed, his favorite jacket pulled over his body like a blanket. As soon as she said his name, his eyes opened, and he jumped up to her bedside.

"Raven!" He whispered. "Thank goodness you're awake! It's been almost eight days, we were starting to worry that you might not get up…"

"Jon, listen to me." Raven placed a hand on his to get his attention. "I need you to tell Kori I'm going back to Gotham.

Jon looked her worriedly. "R… Raven, I can't let you do that. Not by yourself, and especially not right now. You were barely alive when you got back to the Tower, we can't just–"

"Jon, I'm _fine_." Raven sat up, using her magic to restore her strength as she pulled the IV from her arm. "But someone's kidnapped Damian. I have to find him."

"No! You don't have to just run off on your own!" Jon gently placed a hand on Raven's shoulder. "We're a team, remember? Let us help you, and we can figure out where–"

" _NO._ " Raven grabbed Jon by both shoulders as she hopped down from the bed. "No… Jonathan, I have to do this alone… he's _my_ Damian. _I_ have to take care of him."

Jon looked into Raven's eyes for a moment, then let out a sigh in defeat. "… Be careful. Bring him home safe."

Raven wrapped her arms around Jon's neck and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Jon. I promise, we'll be back as soon as we can."

Jon put his arms around her, squeezing her gently. "Just… don't get hurt. You two are the best friends I've got."

Raven stepped back, and changed into her fresh outfit as soon as Jon left the room. Once she was ready, she summoned up a portal and stepped into the Batcave, where Bruce and Carrie were waiting, ready to attack. As soon as they realized who she was, the both of them relaxed.

"Good to see you're awake," Batman said grimly, pulling the cowl off of his face. "I've already been scanning all of California for a signal from Damian's tracker, but I haven't found anything yet."

Raven looked up at Bruce, recognizing Damian's icy blue eyes staring back at her. "I don't think he's in California anymore. Search everywhere. Not just the country– _everywhere_."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

 _Wayne Manor, Gotham City. March 29th, 2018. 11:15 PM._

Nothing.

Nearly four weeks Bruce had been scanning the entire globe for any sign of Damian's presence–his tracking signal, his body signature, even his voice pattern–but nothing. It was like they pulled him right off the face of the earth. Like he'd been written out of existence. It drove Bruce up the wall… Bruce had struggled harder for longer to find a missing person before, and he'd been able to keep a level head. But this was different, more personal. This was Damian… his _son_ was missing.

Of course, having disciplined himself to handle his behavior over the years, Bruce proved to be able to rein in his emotions considerably well for someone in his situation… which, unfortunately, he couldn't say for Raven. Raven was a complete wreck; when she first returned to the Cave, the girl was burning with a determination he hadn't seen since he displayed it himself when Damian had died. But as time went on and days turned into weeks, the undeniable lack of progress began to take its toll on her, and the stone-cold facade she had arrived with began to erode, revealing the broken, vulnerable girl underneath. She and Damian were more devoted to their relationship than Bruce gave them credit for, and it showed in how poorly she was faring given the not knowing. For this, Bruce blamed himself; he told her she was a part of his family. He promised to take care of her, and right now she was suffering. He had to find Damian soon… not just for himself, not even just for Damian, but for her.

Raven herself had slipped into the library after the first two weeks of nothing. She hadn't come back out since… she didn't want Bruce to see her break. She knew Bruce could see it getting to her, but she didn't want him to actually see her crumble. Presently, she found herself curled up against the wall, hugging her knees to her chest in silence. She tried to feel him, reach out over the farthest distance she could reach to connect to his mind… but she found nothing.

She hadn't felt so alone in a very long time.

How did this happen so fast? She had just gotten off of the greatest eleven days of her life; she and Damian had just made it across the entire country together. They opened up to one another like they never had before, learned things about one another they never would have guessed. She… she wanted him to ask. She wanted him to give her the ring, she wanted to be able to wear it everyday, to look down at it on her finger and feel him beating in her heart… she wanted forever. She needed forever. She needed him. She knew they were just kids, she knew how foolish they must have looked to everyone else, but she didn't care. She'd forgotten what it felt like to be loved long ago, but Damian showed her. She learned to love again because he loved her, when she thought no one could, and now… She extended her reach as far as she could, sat day and night by the Batcomputer waiting for a response, begged and pleaded to Azar for something, anything, to let her know that her Damian was okay. But her search yielded no results. The Batcomputer found no trace of him. And her prayers went unanswered.

"Miss Raven, may I sit with you for awhile?"

Raven looked up to see Alfred standing nearby, his hands folded behind his back. He looked down at her with concern in his tired eyes.

"Y… yeah… sure, Mr. Pennyworth…" Raven's eyes slowly turned back to the floor. The old caretaker slowly brought himself down to the floor beside her. They sat in silence for sometime.

"Miss Raven…" he began. "… I know I should say that Master Damian will be alright. That he always turns out fine…"

"Mr. Pennyworth, it's okay. I know he died once before… I just…"

"You know that we're doing everything we can. But… but let me assure you of something else."

Raven turned and looked at the old man. Even without her powers of empathy, the direction of the lines on his face showed his sorrow plain as day.

"If… if Master Damian does not return…" The butler spoke in a low, drawn-out tone. "… if he really _is_ gone… we've made preparations for you. Master Bruce has reached out to your Aunt Alice, and…" he looked into her eyes. "… and if you'll have it… Master Bruce would like to move forward with adoption proceedings."

Raven stared back at the elder gentleman, taking her time to think. Slowly, Raven began to nod. "… thank you, Mr. Pennyworth… I'd love that. But…" Her tired, sore eyes began to well up with tears that she didn't know she had left to shed. "… he… I… I was gonna _marry_ him, Alfred… we were… we were supposed to grow _old_ together… I can't let go of that. I can't…" The half-demon turned his face back to the floor, squinting her eyes and hiding her quivering lips behind her knees. "… _I can't let him go_ …"

Alfred nodded knowingly. "We aren't going to do anything until we all three deem it appropriate… until we all believe that Master Damian has…" He paused, turning away for a moment. "… that Master Damian has died."

Raven broke. She sputtered out a breath, then drew in a deep breath and slowly exhaled, her breath shaking violently as her whole body trembled. Her hands clenched into fists, and she pounded against her knees as she began to whimper, her voice growing louder as she pounded harder and harder until she threw herself into Alfred's arms, her ragged voice echoing throughout the library. She knew her lack of composure was shameful, that she was above such outbursts, but she couldn't control herself. The whole Manor grew dark as her shadow stretched out to each and every room, and her wails rang out into the halls of the empty old house. Alfred pulled her close in his arms, his own tears streaming down her face into the girl's hair. She clung to his suit for dear life, her lungs burning from the pain of her cries.

As the Batcave grew darker, Bruce turned away from the computer screen as he heard the echoes of the child's voice make its way into the cavern. He rose immediately, and ran up the stairs into the house, making his way through the darkness into his father's library. There he found his butler with their new charge in his arms, their bodies quaking against the wall. He dropped to his knees beside them, and put his arms around them both. Silently, a single tear rolled down his cheek. He had to stay strong, he had to keep himself together. He _had_ to…

 _Undisclosed location. March 29th, 2018. 11:45 PM._

Damian hung from the chains holding him to the wall, his eyes locked on the dusty brick floor beneath him. He hadn't said a single word since the moment Lawton told him that Raven was dead. He ate when the assassin brought him food, he drank when he brought him water, and he slept whenever he let the chains out enough for him to lie on the floor. But other than that, he made no movements. His face made no expression, and his eyes stayed on the ground. After all, there was no reason to anymore… without Raven, Damian couldn't find a reason to do anything.

As the sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor, Damian could hear Lawton approaching again. In all likelihood, he was coming to let out his chains again, allow Damian to get some rest. But the sound of keys jangling in his hand suggested otherwise. Lawton opened the cell door, and knelt down to look at Damian.

"My client is here to take you…" Deadshot sighed. "Again, I'm sorry for all this happening to you. You seem like an okay kid., but… I need the money."

Damian slowly lifted his eyes to meet Lawton's. There was no emotion in the boy's face, no feeling in his eyes.

"None of this is your fault, Lawton…" Damian's voice was raspy as he finally spoke, his throat dry and swollen. "You were just doing what you had to do… for your daughter. I understand that…" Red X let his arms fall to his sides as Deadshot unlocked his restraints.

"Go on up the stairs," the hitman murmured. "He's waiting… good luck."

Damian slowly picked himself up off the cold ground and shuffled down the corridor towards the stairway. He turned back to say something, but Lawton was already gone. Damian let out a sigh and looked down to his belt. For some reason, Lawton had left the boy wearing his full uniform… he even sewed up the hole where the bullet had entered his chest. He pressed a button on his belt buckle, activating his homing signal, and proceeded up the stairway into the next room.

What awaited Damian in the next room took him by surprise. It was a large chamber, apparently some form of bathing chamber. Tracing the green glow to the large tub to his right, Damian immediately recognized the shimmering waters of a Lazarus pit. Damian was certain that the League had located them all, but apparently they were wrong… not that that surprised him. The League proved wrong about a great many things.

"What's the matter, boy? Does the sight of the pit bring back foul memories?"

Damian found himself immediately on edge, his eyes widening as he recognized the voice. He looked up across the room to see one eye staring back at him from behind the familiar metal sheath.

Damian remained silent as Slade Wilson walked slowly towards him.

"I'm sure I'm the last person you wanted to see right now, Damian," Deathstroke hissed, his voice carrying all the way across the room. "But I'm here to settle the score between us once and for all."

Damian began to walk forward himself, still saying nothing. Slade pulled a single katana from his back, tossing it to the boy, who caught it by the sheath. His eyes never looked away as Wilson pulled the second katana off of his back, taking it in both hands as he shifted into stance.

"You and I are going to duel. Right here, right now. If you don't kill me, then I'll kill you. I'll put this blade through your heart, throw you into that pit, then pull you out and put the blade _right_ _back_ _in_. I'll watch you suffer, as I've suffered every single day since you were born." Slade glared at the boy with a fearsome rage in his eye. "I only hope you can put aside your father's pathetic mantra of _'justice, not vengeance'_ long enough to give me a decent fight." Without another word, Slade bolted forward, swinging out at the boy with all his might…

The piercing sound of steel clashing against steel reverberated throughout the chamber as Damian lifted his sword, blocking Slade's deadly stroke with ease.

"Slade…" The Son of Batman growled through clenched teeth. "You killed my Raven." His glare burned into Wilson's eye. "This… **this** _ **is**_ **justice.** "

Before Slade could react, Damian forced the soldier's sword down, reaching up and jerking away the mask from his face. Damian's head whipped forward, smashing right into Wilson's nose and shattering it into pieces. The old warrior stumbled back, and Red X let out an ungodly, primal roar as he launched forward, coming down like a vengeful wraith on his captor…

 _The Batcave, Gotham City. March 29th, 2018. 11:57 PM._

"What the… Raven. Raven, get over here! _We found him!_ "

Raven's eyes darted to the Batcomputer, where Bruce had jolted up to a standing position, knocking his chair down as he called out to her. She appeared beside him in a blink, her heart racing as the two of the, looked up at the screen in front of them, which displayed a map of the entire planet, with a single pulsing red dot on a small island nation off the American east coast. Damian's homing beacon had turned on.

"Azar's mercy…" Raven whispered excitedly. "It's him! _It's really him, isn't it!?_ "

"Corto Maltese…? Why is he in Corto Maltese?" Bruce stared grimly up at the screen. Raven jerked his shoulder, pulling his attention back to her.

"That doesn't matter right now!" The Titan urged. "What matters is that we get to him _now_ before something happens!"

Bruce nodded, pulling his cowl on over his eyes. "Get to the Batwing, we'll be there in ten minutes." He turned to Robin, who was waiting nearby to head out on patrol. "Carrie, send word to Dick, Jason, and Tim. Let them know what's going on."

"You got it, Boss!" The girl hopped on her bike and sped off out of the Cave. Bruce quickly turned to Alfred.

"Alfred, keep an eye on his signal. Once we get in the area, I'll need you to keep us honed in on Damian's signal."

"Of course, Master Bruce… good luck." The butler nodded, picking up the chair and sitting down at the Batcomputer as Batman and Raven rushed to the Batwing. "… and _please_ bring him home safe…"


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

 _Deathstroke's hideout, Corto Maltese. March 30th, 2018. 12:03 PM._

" _You don't get it! Do you, old man!?_ " Damian cried out as he delivered a solid kick to Deathstroke's chest, sending him sliding across the floor on his back. The boy ran after him, wild-eyed with a fury he'd not felt in years. Wilson picked himself back up just in time to block a vicious stroke from Damian's katana that, likely, would have severed his head.

"What is there to get, _boy?_ " Deathstroke spat as he pushing back onto the offensive, throwing swing after swing at the boy. "I've been waiting for this moment for _years!_ To finally be able to look you in the eyes as I–" He stopped short as he felt the steel blade of his opponent drive into his shoulder, and he cried out in pain as he stumbled back. Damian threw himself onto Wilson as he fell, grabbing the old soldier's katana and tossing it aside.

" _Shut up!_ " Red X barked as he pulled Slade closer by the collar. "Your men were there when you had me captured. They killed her. She was the only thing that kept me sane, and now she's dead… because of **YOU!** " Damian drove his fist into Deathstroke's already broken nose. Wilson grunted in pain, and Damian flung the old warrior across the room. He picked up both katanas, tossing one to Wilson as he stomped forward.

"What are you going on about?" Slade grunted as he took the blade, hastily blocking Damian's swings through the biting pain in his shoulder. "Who is dead? My men said nothing about–"

"They killed my Raven!" Damian slammed the hilt of his sword into Deathstroke's temple, causing him to fall to one knee. "She saved me from the gunshot, then they took her, and they tore her apart! _Your_ men! _Your_ plan! _Your FAULT!_ " Damian ran the katana through Slade's side, blood spurting everywhere. Slade glared back up at Damian through his one good eye, toppling forward as one hand gripped at the fresh wound.

" **Get up!** Stand back up so I can knock you back down, you piece of trash!" Damian kicked the wound in Slade's side as hard as he could. Wilson screamed in agony, falling to one side. The old soldier grabbed his katana, stabbing up at the boy. Damian shifted out of the way just in time, the sword leaving only a shallow cut across his chest. The Son of Batman hissed as blood trickled down from the broad cut, which stung as most fresh wounds do.

"You can't be serious," Deathstroke picked himself back up, ramming into Damian with his shoulder before pressing his offensive again. "All this rage, all this hate, over _what_? _Some girl?_ You're pathetic, Damian! _Pathetic!_ "

Damian responded to this with a swift flip-kick to Slade's chin, sending the old man reeling back. Just as the Red X landed, he shot forward like a bullet, his head crashing into Slade's chest. Deathstroke fell to the ground, the wind knocked right out of his lungs, and Damian was on him in a flash, pressing cold steel against the soldier's throat.

"Last time we fought, you _ordered_ me to kill you…" Damian growled down at his opponent, his eyes wide and crazed. "This time, I won't stop until you _beg_ for death! I want you to _beg! You hear me, Slade!?_ _ **BEG!**_ " Damian pulled his blade away from Wilson's neck, driving the hilt into the place where his eye once had been. Wilson screamed out in agony, grabbing Damian's sword and pulling it away. Wilson threw his fist into Damian's throat, and blood flew out of the young man's mouth. The old man then hoisted Red X into the air as he pulled himself to his feet, and slammed him back into the ground with such force that the tiles cracked beneath him. Damian pushed off with his arms, flying back across the room as Deathstroke picked up both of his swords and marched forward. Thinking fast, Damian reached into his belt and pulled out several red shuriken– _X-stars_ , he called them. He began hurling them at Deathstroke in rapid succession, but the old warrior batted each one aside with a flick of his blades, until one lodged itself in the ground in front of him. Slade looked down just before the shuriken could impale his foot, and he saw a little red light in the center of the star flash just before he was sent flying back in a sudden explosion, colliding with the wall on the other side of the fresh cloud of smoke from the blast. Damian smirked as he pulled the small spring locks on his wrists, causing red blades to rip through the wraps in his forearms, which fell away to reveal the light-grey gauntlets on his arms from which the red blades extended, spinning into the shape of an X over his hands. _X-blades_. Damian's smirk became a grin as he realized he had adopted the same tool-naming habits as Batman.

Batman… Bruce. His _father_. What would his father say if he could see him right now?

The smoke swirled all around, giving way as Deathstroke soared through the air, both katanas raised high above his head, his gruff voice ringing out in a battle cry as he came down towards Damian. The Son of Batman reacted instantly, the sharp twang of metal slamming into metal sounding through the room once again as the swords crashed into the X-blades. Damian swung his arms outward, and Slade's own arms followed suit, leaving him open for attack. Damian began swiping with fearsome precision, his arms a flurry of black and red and grey as he carved shallow marks into Wilson's chest. Wilson's mouth hung open in a silent scream, his eye open wide as he was left unable to counter. After several more cuts from his X-blades, Damian leapt up and, as his weapons retracted back into his gauntlets, rocketed both feet directly into Slade's chest like a kangaroo, catching himself with his hands and spinning like a top back into a proper stance as Slade came down on the floor several feet away. The Red X slowly swaggered forward, looking down at his handiwork; in several shallow cuts on Deathstroke's bleeding chest, the boy had managed to carve the bat-shaped symbol of his father, and topped it with two broad strokes across the whole length of the chest forming an X–his own symbol–over the bat.

"Slade Wilson…" Damian growled through grit teeth. "You have _no idea_ how badly I wish I could just cut your head clean off… right here, right now…"

Deathstroke, his whole body shaking, glared back at the boy, seething with hate. "… g…. Go on, then… do it…" the old man coughed, his teeth tinted red with blood. "Put an end to this feud… between you and I… d…" he clenched his fists as tightly as they could, his hands quaking from pain, weakness, and rage. " _do it… do it now…_ "

Damian glared down at the broken man at his feet in silence for a moment, repeating his father's words over and over again in his mind.

"No, Slade." The young man's fists unclenched, and his hands slowly came up to his chest as his arms crossed. "I'm not _Ibn al Xu'ffasch_. Not anymore."

Slade's unsteady breath hissed low and quiet in the back of his throat as he growled up at his most hated adversary.

"I am Damian Wayne…" Damian's voice was clear and confident. "Son of Bruce Wayne. I am Robin–Son of Batman. I am the Red X–a Titan. I am hope. I give strength to those who have none." A proud smile spread across his face. "And I believe in justice, not vengeance." Damian stood tall over the battered, broken man at his feet, having found his way to the light again. Raven would have been proud of him.

"I'm proud of you, son."

Damian looked over his shoulder to see the Batman standing in the doorway from which Deathstroke had entered the room. The Dark Knight smiled at him, giving off waves of pride at his son's words. Damian smiled back, relieved to see that the homing signal had reached him. Bruce took a step into the chamber, then quietly stepped off to the side…

Damian's face went blank, and his eyes opened wide as he recognized the glowing amethyst eyes of the cloaked and hooded figure who walked into the room.

" _Raven…?_ "

Damian immediately turned around, his cape swirling around him as he did so. The girl pulled her hood back, long ebony hair falling around her soft, pale face. She beamed back at him, and they both stepped forward. First they moved in single steps, which turned into a slow shuffle, then a brisk walk, until finally they both broke out into a full-on run, arms pumping and hearts pounding against their chests as Raven leapt into Damian's arms, a brilliant flash of violet enveloping the room as they embraced. Tears streaming from her eyes as well as his, the two Titans leaned in and brought their lips together as Damian lifted Raven up in his arms, her legs coming up around his sides. He tasted like copper, but Raven didn't care–he was gone, and he came back to her. Damian welcomed the familiar taste of rain, and his cheeks began to turn warm and red as she slid back to the ground, her arms sliding in around his neck as he held her body against him, his own arms wrapped around her and settling into the small of her back while they squeezed her gently. She was dead, lost forever. And yet, here she was, alive and well. In that moment, everything was perfect. Damian let the world fade out as he was enveloped in Raven's presence…

His eyes crashed open as he felt the sting of metal lodge itself into his back, its razor-sharp tip just barely penetrating his heart.

When he came back to reality, Wilson had pulled himself to his feet, and his hand was flat against Damian's back, pressing a concealed wrist-mounted blade into Damian's from behind. The Titan's body went limp as the blade slid quickly back out, and he fell to the ground, Raven dropping to her knees in front of him. She screamed out in horror, but was cut off as Slade kicked her away, pulling out a pistol that Damian, in his unyielding rage, hadn't bothered to look for on his thigh. The old man pulled back the hammer, and aimed the barrel of the gun right between Damian's eyes.

"You little fool…" Slade hissed, his chest smeared with blood. "You'd _almost_ won the day, hadn't you? You had me on the ground at your mercy, and I'll admit: I was tempted to give in, _beg_ for death like you wanted… but you just have too much heart for your own good now, don't you _boy_? You just had to be the better man, let the villain live on the principle that all lives, no matter how destructive and cruel, are inherently precious…" A foul grin stretched across Deathstroke's blood-soaked lips. "Well… see how much your virtue is worth now. _Goodbye._ "

Just as the soldier went to pull the trigger and blow the Titan away, a black razor-edged object, in the shape of a bat, lodged itself in front of the hammer. The gun went off, bursting in Wilson's hand and falling to the side. Grunting loudly in anger, Deathstroke grabbed Damian by his hair and raised his other hand, preparing to drive the wrist-blade right through the boy's head… But dropped the dying crusader back to the floor as a bullet tore through his head, a vicious mess of blood, skull fragments, and brain matter bursting out the other end behind it as the lifeless corpse Deathstroke the Terminator fell to the side.

Batman turned to see Talia al Ghul standing in the doorway, smoke still rising from the barrel of her gun.

"Azar, no…" Raven's voice was quiet and shaky as she scrambled to her Damian's side, gathering him up in her arms. He looked up at her with tired eyes as he pulled off his mask and dropped it to the floor, his fingers gently lighting upon her cheek as she whimpered.

"Raven… God, you're actually… you're here, you're alive…" Damian sighed, a peaceful smile finding its place on his lips. "I love you so much… so much, Raven…"

"I'm right here, Damian…" Raven smiled back at him weakly. "I… I love you too…" She knew she wouldn't be able to save him; her healing powers were impressive, but even she wouldn't be able to repair the damage soon enough. There was nothing she could do.

Talia moved forward, but was stopped by an arm raised by Bruce. "In a minute…" he whispered. "Let them say their goodbyes… just in case it doesn't work." The woman nodded, moving in closer to the Batman as the two of them looked on.

"Hey… what day is it…?" Damian asked quietly, all but ignoring the pain in his chest and back. "Is… is it the 30th yet?" He reached into his belt, pulling out the wad of shipping paper in his pocket.

Raven nodded, a sad smile on her face as she helped him unwrap the brooch. She recognized it right away, and more tears welled up in her eyes. "Damian, I… oh my God, baby… _you remembered…_ "

"Happy… Happy Anniversary, Raven…" Damian nestled his head against her chest, his cheeks flushing just barely as blood continued to trickle slowly but steadily from his back. "Y'know, I still…" he let out a weak laugh. "… I still wanna teach you how to slow-dance…"

Raven smiled down at her Damian, doing everything she could to hold herself together as her shadow slowly grew across the floor. "Yeah, Damian. Yeah, I want you to teach me…" Raven's hand slid down from the boy's face down the length of his torso, her fingers dipping into the pocket of his belt and pulling out the little black box. "Do you think… do you think maybe you could teach me for…"

Damian smiled down at the box, and reached up with a trembling hand to open it, pulling out the diamond ring inside as Raven's right hand slid back into place holding him up. "… yeah. Yeah, I think we can… we'll dance at our… at our wedding..." Raven held out her left hand, and he carefully slid the band onto her ring finger. The tears continued to stream down Raven's cheeks, and her leaned down and took his lips with hers once more. Damian's hand fell to the cold floor as his consciousness faded, his heartbeat coming to a complete stop as he let out one last breath. Raven pulled away and put her hand to his face, and her shadow stretched across the length of the chamber, reaching out and covering the ruins in darkness. His skin had already gone cold.

Bruce and Talia quickly moved forward, the latter gently pulling Raven away as the former took his son's lifeless form into his arms, movingly swiftly towards the glowing green waters to the side. Raven let Talia help her to her feet in confusion.

"Wh… what are you doing with him?" the half-demon stammered through her shock as the Dark Knight stepped down into the large tub, wading further into the liquid.

"We don't have much time," Talia spoke fast, taking Raven by the hand and pulling her forward to the water's edge. "This is a Lazarus pit. It can restore Damian's body, but only if it's effect takes hold before brain-death."

Bruce lowered Damian's body into the waters, letting it float gently forward before sinking down beneath the surface. As the Batman climbed back out, he turned to the girl with a stern look in his eyes. "Raven, listen very carefully. I need you to focus your healing magic on the waters, to try to amplify their potency. I don't know if it'll work, but… please. I need you to try. _For him._ "

Raven nodded before closing her eyes, dropping to her knees and stretching her hands out over the pit. _"Mother of Azarath, I beseech You… hear the plea of Your faithful Handmaiden,"_ she prayed. _"Mother Spirit of the Nether Realm, look down upon Your servants this hour. Reach out with Your hand and bless these mystic waters with Your healing touch, and breathe life back into the body of Your servant therein. Azarath…"_

Bruce placed a hand on Raven's back, the other hand taking hold of Talia's as he closed his eyes and joined in. _"Metrion…"_

Talia's eyes slid closed as the word manifested itself in her mind, and she let it escape her lips in unison with the two beside her. _"Zinthos."_

As the words sounded through the chamber, the waters of the Lazarus pit began to swirl, changing from the glowing green color to a shimmering purple as Damian's body remained beneath the surface, unmoving on the chamber floor. After a moment, the amethystine waters fell still, and Damian still did not move. Raven watched with bated breath, begging for him to open his eyes, lift his head, twitch his fingers. Anything to indicate life. But as the seconds stretched out like years, the body below stayed perfectly still.

He was gone.

Raven slowly let out a trembling exhale, and fell onto Bruce's side as the hiss of her breath gave way to a quiet, defeated whine, which broke apart into sobs as Raven cried weakly, turning away and curling up into Bruce's arms, the room growing ever darker as her shadow deepened. The Batman pulled his mask off, and tears began to form in his own eyes as he pulled Raven closer, and he felt Talia's hand light upon his shoulder, her other hand covering her mouth as her eyes went wide in disbelief.

"Raven…" Bruce whispered. "Raven, I'm so sorry… _I tried…_ "

Just as Damian's father let the words escape his lips, the boy's mother brought herself lot to the ground, her eyes never turning away from the body down below as she let out a ragged, devastated scream, which reverberated throughout the chamber. Bruce reached over, pulling her in as she clung to his body, and the three of them sat there at the edge of the waters, Raven and Talia unable to stop their weeping as Bruce stared down at his son. He swore he'd never let it happen again; he swore that, as long as there was life in his chest, Damian would never see his death again. But he failed.

As the three felt the weight of their worlds come down upon them, Damian opened his eyes.

All at once, a blinding purple light blazing from his eyes, Damian burst out from beneath the waters, screaming and writhing in hysteria. The three snapped back to reality, shocked to see the young man still alive as he swiped frenziedly at the waters, gasping and shrieking as he struggled to make sense of his surroundings.

"Raven, reach out to him!" Bruce shouted. "He needs someone to calm him down, bring him back to his senses! _Go!_ " Without another word, Raven jumped forward out of Bruce's arms, coming down in the water right in front of her Damian. As he continued to howl in his madness, the mage-girl took his head in her hands and reached out to his mind.

" _Damian, Listen to me! It's Raven, okay? It's your Raven!"_ the witch-girl's words echoed through the rift between them and into Damian's mind. _"It's okay now, Damian! Everything is alright!"_

Damian continued to thrash, his hands grasping Raven's arms as he jerked about, and Raven kept on.

" _Hey! Listen to me, you're okay! You're okay, baby…"_ Raven's mental voice softened as she saw him begin to ease his struggles, his screeching dying down into panicked whines. _"Hey, hey listen to my voice. Think, think back. Do you remember Christmas? This past Christmas, we were all alone in the Tower… we went out in the snow, walked through the park…"_

As Damian's iron grip on Raven's arms softened his flailing gradually ceased, and his voice dropped into a whimper. In her mind, Raven could hear echoes of that December night as he tried to remember.

" _There you go, my baby…"_ Raven cooed into his mind as eyes squeezed shut, and a saccharine smile formed on her lips. _"And then we went out to the pond… we went to the pond, and it had frozen over. Then we went skating on the ice… can you remember the song I played for you? Try to remember…"_

Damian's head hung low as his whole body trembled, and Raven heard his voice quiet in the back of her mind. _"I… I-I…"_

Raven knew it was working. _"That's right, Damian. Try to remember for me…"_ Raven pulled her boy closer, and pressed her lips to his head. _"Can you sing the song for me? Try to remember the words, love…"_ She felt him fumbling for words in his mind, and she knew he was on the cusp of coming back down… So she did the only thing she could think of.

" _Remember the words… 'And Iiiiii…'"_ she let her voice carry the melody into Damian's mind. _"'had a feeling that I belonged…'"_

Damian's hands slowly trailed down to Raven's back, his fingers tightening around her cape. _"… 'And Iiiiii…'"_ Raven's cheeks turned bright red as she heard his voice. _"… 'had a feeling I could be someone…'"_ he sang shakily in Raven's head as he pulled her closer, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

" _'Be someone…'"_ Raven's lips brushed gently against Damian's cheek as her voice joined in in their minds, singing softly together as the memory of spinning around on the frozen pond in the snow played back in their minds. _"'Be someone…'"_

Damian lifted his head and looked into Raven's eyes, his smile shaking on his lips as his eyelids hung low. Their eyes closed, and the song started again from the beginning in their minds as the two brought their lips together once more. The tastes of smoke and rain filled their senses as lips and tongues came together tenderly, drowning out the rest of the world as the purple in the waters around them rose into the air as twinkles of light, giving off the appearance of amethyst stars in space as they swirled around the two floating up out of the Lazarus pit, which now returned to its original green color.

Watching them from the water's edge, Talia placed her hand on Bruce's arm. "Beloved…" she whispered. "Who is this girl?"

Bruce smiled as he let his opposite hand light atop hers. "Her name is Raven Roth…" he whispered back. "and as of a few minutes ago, she's our son's fiancée."

"Fiancée?" She asked, looking over at Bruce's face. "Bruce, he's only fifteen years old."

Bruce chuckled low in his throat. "Maybe on the outside… but he's more an adult than either of us could have hoped he'd be by now." He looked back at Damian's mother with a smile. "And she's no different. She's family now."

Talia looked back silently for a moment. "… and what of me? Am _I_ family, Beloved…?"

Bruce put his arm around the jade-eyed woman beside him and held her tight. "You're Damian's mother, Talia. The mother of my son. We might never agree on everything, but you'll _always_ be a part of our family."

Talia smiled and looked up at her son, who appeared to be lost in his own Beloved's eyes. She recalled being lost in his father's eyes the same way once, and she sighed. "… I've disbanded the League of Assassins."

Bruce looked down at Talia in shock. "You _what?_ "

Talia looked up at the Batman, her sincerity showing on fear face. "You were right, Bruce. It was for the best that the League die with my father. As much as I miss him, I know he was wrong. And I…" the woman paused, forcing down the lump in her throat. "… I want to be part of Damian's life again. I want to be a better mother to him. Even if you don't want me as your wife, I just want…"

Bruce wrapped his arms around Talia, pulling the woman in close. "You don't have to say anything else. We'd love to have you back in our lives. Come to the Manor, stay with me. You'll _always_ be welcome… I promise you."

Talia smiled, closing her eyes and leaning into Bruce's embrace. She put her arms around him, and knew she'd made the right decision. Her place was here now. Her son, her Beloved… _they_ were her home.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

 _Kahn Memorial Hospital, Blüdhaven. April 3rd, 2018. 10:43 PM._

Bruce knew that a few of the people had expressed interest in being there for Dick and Barbara when Tommy was born, but he hadn't expected so many. As he looked around the maternity ward, he was able to pick out every current member of the Teen Titans, most of the original members, and the full Justice League, and several members of the Justice Society. That was just to name a few. He sipped at his coffee, and turned back to the elevator to see Clark, Lois and Diana walking toward him. He nodded with a smile; he was glad Clark was here for such a big moment in Dick's life. Clark and Dick always had a close relationship.

"Man, what a turnout!" the Kryptonian said with a grin. "Looks like someone's gonna be spoiled growing up, huh?"

Bruce chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "I was hoping it wouldn't be so crowded, but it looks like somehow everyone managed to drop in. I don't even know how this place is big enough to hold everyone."

"Guess Blüdhaven must have a lot of expectant mothers," Lois said nonchalantly as she glanced a bit down the hall and let out a laugh. "Looks like there's even enough room for ballroom practice!" The four of them turned to look, and smiled as they saw Damian and Raven giggling and fumbling about in the hallway as he tried to teach her to dance, with Jon grinning boyishly as he strummed on his guitar in the seat next to them.

"When did Jon start playing the guitar…?" Clark turned to his wife, who shrugged.

"Must have happened in Cali," Lois replied. "I didn't even know he had one!"

"Damian probably got it for him. They've been getting close." Bruce took another sip at his coffee, and Diana smiled.

"That's good," the Amazon added, watching as the half-demon tripped up again, falling into Damian's arms. "The better their personal relationships get, the better they'll work together on the field of battle."

"I agree." The four turned as Talia came up from behind Bruce. "They have much to learn from one another, and from what I've gathered, they've already learned so much in the past two years together."

"Oh, hey! You're, umm…" Clark snapped his fingers trying to remember the woman's name. "… Talia, right? Damian's mother?"

Talia nodded with a subtle smile. "I take it you're the one they call 'Superman', yes? The one from Metropolis?"

Superman's eyes went wide as he looked around the room. "I-I, uhh, _what?_ I dunno what you're talking about…"

Bruce put a hand on Clark's shoulder. "Relax, Clark. Everyone here is in the loop. Including the doctor in there with Dick and Barbara now. Her name is Leslie Thompkins, she's an old friend of mine."

Clark rubbed the back nervously. "Okay, well… yeah, that's me."

Diana peered skeptically at Talia. "Talia… as in Talia al Ghul? Aren't you a member of…"

"I was," the young woman replied. "After the death of my father Ra's, I assumed his role as Grandmaster of the League of Assassins. But as time went on, and after one _particular_ ordeal in Gotham a few years after Damian became Robin, I realized that my grandfather was wrong about mankind… so now the League is no more."

"Oh? Well…" Wonder Woman threw up her eyebrows in surprise. "I believe you've made the right decision. You can do more good for the world as one of us." Talia smiled back, and the five of them continued on for awhile.

Damian snickered as he took Raven's weight in his arms again, catching the poor girl as she slipped once more. He planted a peck on her cheek as she slapped playfully at his chest. _Everything is the way it needs to be,_ he thought to himself. His cities were both enjoying a rare period of peace, his mother had come back into his life, and he had Raven in his arms, his ring on her finger. Right now, in this moment, he almost felt… normal.

"Dang it Damian, I can't figure this out!" Raven laughed, resting her head on Damian's shoulder as they wrapped each other up in an embrace. "How is it that I can ice-skate just fine, but I can't dance like a normal person?"

" _Normal_ person? Raven, normal people don't know how to dance like this," Damian laughed as he pressed his cheek against hers with a grin. "Have you been to a wedding before? Most people's first dances are just rocking back and forth in a circle, no fancy twirls or lifts or anything!"

"Maybe we should try something a little slower," Raven sighed, leaning back to look into Damian's eyes with a smile. "Think that might help?" Damian nodded and turned to Jon, who grinned back.

"You're prob'ly right, Rae. Sixpence is a little fast for someone who's new to this whole dancin' thing, so maybe after a little practice." The hybrid boy slid his capo down a few frets on the neck of his guitar. "But I just figured out this Lauper bit that'd be perfect for you two! Nice 'n' slow so ya don't trip over your own feet, and I think the words fit y'all's relationship pretty well."

Damian stifled a laugh, smirking over Raven's shoulder at the younger boy. "Y'know Jon, it's easy to forget how much of a bumpkin you are… but then you go and talk like THAT, and it just hits you like _'oh yeah, he grew up on a farm.'_ " Jonathan stuck his tongue out with a wink and started to pick out a slower melody.

"Actually, I been meanin' to ask you somethin', too," Jon started, talking over his guitar. "How come you two got engaged already? I mean yeah, it's been a whole year since you got together and all, and that's awesome, but you're not that much older than me. And I mean, I'm just startin' high school…"

"Yeah, we're really young," Raven sighed as she and Damian slowly turned in time with the music. "But it's all about circumstance. Damian and I have both been through a lot more than most people our age, so we think we've grown a little more than must people do by the time they turn 16… here, spin me." The girl twirled out along her and Damian's arms, her long dark hair swirling all around as she spun, and again as she whirled back into his arms.

"Yeah… Plus, I was about to bleed to death," Damian wrapped an arm around Raven's waist from behind as he pulled her back in, swaying back and forth as they continued turning to the sounds of the guitar. "Whether I lived long enough to marry her or not, I wanted Raven to have my grandmother's ring. But since I ended up coming back, we decided to stick with our decision and get married… albeit pretty far in the future."

"Five years… I wish we didn't have to, but why not? They're not wrong, we really are still pretty young." Raven went on, turning in Damian's arms to face him, resting one hand on his chest as the other stayed rested in his free hand. "Still, gives us plenty of time to get things ready. Planning things out so long in advance is a good way to make sure everything is perfect."

"I mean, I wouldn't object if you wanted to run off in the morning and elope…" Damian joked with a wink. "But it'd have to be in the morning. Can't go anywhere tonight, tonight is all about the baby."

"Right," Raven said smirking. "Baby first, then we'll run off into the sunrise together."

"Hey, hey! Hold the phone, you two!" Jon snipped playfully, still picking along. "You can't just elope like that, you've gotta have a big legit wedding. Y'know, so I can actually _be there_ for it!"

"That actually reminds me…" Damian glanced over to the alien in the chair. "Jon, you wanna be my Best Man?"

"Whaaaat?" Superboy beamed back at Red X excitedly. "Heck yeah, man! You bet!" The three laughed for a moment, and Raven looked contently into Damian's icy blues before stealing a kiss.

"Y'all stop it," Jon said with a grin. " _Nobody_ should be that cute."

A few seconds later, a quiet ding came from the nearby elevator, whose doors then slid open. Out stepped Jason Todd, Roy Harper, and (to everyone's surprise) Dr. Harleen Quinzel, who held a little girl with blonde pigtails on her hip. All three of them had their hands full of gift bags (except, of course, for Harley, who only had gifts in one hand, as the other was occupied by the child), several of which were accompanied by all different kinds of balloons.

"Hey!" Jason called out to Damian as he walked briskly towards them. "We're not late, are we? Did she already have the baby?"

"Believe it or not, no!" Damian replied as he and Raven came to a halt. "She's been trying all morning, but apparently she's just not dilated enough. They took her back awhile ago to go over some things before she has her C-section."

"That kinda sucks…" Roy muttered as he walked up behind Jason. "But at least we didn't miss it. The four of us were makin' a last-minute gift-run after we picked up Harley and the kid. Y'know, clothes and diapers and stuff… plus we stopped for McDonald's."

"Gross," Damian said with a smirk. "That stuff'll clog your arteries, y'know."

"Hey, I useta live on the street. I can eat _anything_." Jason grinned back at his little brother.

Raven beamed sweetly as Harley passed the little one into her hands. "Oh my goodness! Hi there, sweetie!" She cooed, looking into the girl's emerald eyes. "Can you tell me your name?"

"I'm Lucy…" the child mumbled, her little fingers gripping at Raven's blue cardigan. "Lucy Kinn… Kinnuh… umm…"

"Say _'Luuucy Quinn-zell'_ , baby!" Harley leaned in and dotted the girl's face in kisses. Lucy giggled, putting a hand on her mother's cheek.

" _Luuucy Kinn-Zell!_ " The little one echoed as best she could.

"Well it's nice to meet you, Miss Lucy! My name's Raven!" the mage-girl replied, gently bouncing the little one up and down on her hip. "Can you tell me how old you are?"

Lucy held up three fingers on her left hand for Raven to see. "This many!"

As Raven continued talking to the little girl in her arms, Kori leaned up against the wall in the waiting room, her eyes on the floor. Despite how excited she was that the baby was about to arrive, she couldn't help but feel a little bit down lately. She wasn't sure why it was coming to her now, but she just couldn't seem to shake the pit in her stomach…

"Hey, Star…" Kori lifted her head to see Jason walk into the room, setting his numerous bags down by the door. "You, uhh… you feelin' alright?"

"Oh… hey, Jason. I'm alright, just…" Kori looked back down for a moment before raising her eyes to him again. "I've had a lot on my mind lately."

"… Is it about Dick?" Jason kept looking back at the Tamaranean, a look of concern on his face which Kori noted was… surprising, coming from him.

"I…" Kori looked to the floor again. "… yes… I know, it's awful, but… that's just how my kind are. The love of a Tamaranean is eternal."

"Yeah…" Jason took a step forward shrugging. "Honestly, I kinda get where you're coming from. It hurts seeing somebody you trust so much with someone else… I mean, that's how I felt when I found out about Tim."

Kori paused for a moment, glancing back at Todd from the corner of her eyes. "What do you mean…?"

Jason sighed. "Well, you know how it went… I used to be Robin. I got killed by Joker. Bruce took Tim in, made him Robin… I came back to find someone had taken my place." He leaned up against the wall beside Star, his hands in his pockets. "It hurt, y'know? Seeing Bruce move on like that… I thought…"

"You thought it meant he didn't love you anymore…" Kori murmured. "You felt _expendable_." Jason nodded.

"But that's just it…" he continued. "Even though Bruce found another Robin, that didn't mean Tim was replacing me. That connection between him and me… I didn't see it before, but it was still there. Even if I wasn't Robin anymore, he still wanted me to be part of the family… I just didn't realize it then. But in time, I started to understand."

"… I know, Dick and I will always… I just…"

"Hey, I get it. Believe me, I do… But give it a little more time. It gets better." Jason gave Kori a soft smile. "It might not ever go away completely. But it gets better."

A moment of silence passed between them before Kori turned to the Red Hood with a smile, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you, Jason. I needed to hear that."

"You'll be alright, Kori. Promise." Jason's smile grew just a bit as he hugged her back. "You can talk to me if you need anything."

As the two of them walked back out into the main hall, everyone gathered in front of the doorway. Evidently, Dr. Thompkins had just informed Bruce that the C-section was underway, and that the baby would be arriving shortly. Jason came up to Bruce's side, and placed a firm hand on the older man's shoulder.

"So how's this s'poseta go, exactly?" Jason asked. "What should we expect when those doors open back up?"

"I wouldn't get too excited…" Bruce replied under his breath. "If anyone comes through those doors, it'll probably just be Leslie letting us know how it went."

"Still," Damian called back at his father from closer to the door, "at least we'll know what happened. I'd rather have that than not knowing until we all pile up against the Nursery window…"

Raven looked over at the boy and squeezed his hand. He looked back, seeing the faintest hints of a smile on her lips, and he couldn't help but blush… just a tad.

" _You feel nervous,"_ the girl's voice spoke softly in Damian's mind as she took she let go of his hand, running her fingertips up his arm and along his back.

" _Oh, do I?"_ Damian raised eyebrow as he let his thoughts flow into her mind. _"I'm surprised you don't. He's just as much your nephew as he is mine."_

" _Oh! So is this about first impressions, then?"_ she thought with a wink. _"Relax, he's gonna love you. We all do."_

Damian's eyes softened as he looked back into her eyes, and the two shared a brief kiss just as the doors began to open. They pulled back, and looked everyone waited with baited breath for Dr. Thompkins to come out and tell them how the surgery went.

Instead, they were treated to the sight of Dick Grayson, still in his scrubs and hair net, holding a little blue blanket squirming in his arms as he walked shakily down the hall.

After a collective gasp, everyone rushed forward to surround him. Damian peeked into the blanket to see the tiniest fingers resting on the face of the newborn baby, who looked up at him with electric blue eyes, still brimming with water. His father's eyes, Damian thought.

"Guys…" Dick's voice trembled as his eyes filled with joyous tears. "He's perfect."

As Dick carried his son slowly through the crowd into the Nursery, Damian turned to find his father standing beside him, one hand over his face. The young man gazed up with some strange sense of awe as he watched the tears roll down Bruce's cheeks.

Damian smiled. _In this moment,_ he thought, _everything is the way it needs to be._

 _March 4th, 2018. 2:43 AM._

It was late… far later than Damian had planned to stay. His father, along with everyone else, had long since left the hospital; Bruce and Carrie to go on patrol ("Crime won't care that I have a grandson," the man said), the Titans went with them to help, Talia and Alfred went back to the Manor, and everyone else went back to their own cities. Now, all that remained were himself, Dick and Barbara (both of whom were fast asleep), Raven, and Tommy. He looked down at the newborn in his arms, reaching up at him with the littlest of hands. He smiled, placing his finger into the baby's palm, and his smile grew as the tiny Grayson's fingers closed around his fingertip. He looked down into Tommy's blue, blue eyes…

" _Hmm… funny. Baby blues on a baby."_

Damian smiled as a pale hand come down over his shoulder, her fingertips gently pulling the little white blanket with the yellow stripes over Tommy's chest. The Titan looked back to see Raven smiling down at the child.

" _Yeah… how about that?"_ Damian thought back. The two of them looked down at Tommy, who looked back up between them with his eyes full of wonder.

" _We should give him a nickname…"_ the mage thought. _"Just for him and us. What do you think?"_

" _I already know exactly what we'll call him. What everyone will call him…"_ Damian carefully lifted the infant up, and pressed his lips to his little face. _"Robin."_

" _Don't you think he's a little young?"_ Raven teased, blushing as the newborn put his hands on Damian's face.

" _Maybe… but someday."_ Damian lowered the baby back into the cradle his arms. _"… And then one day, he'll grow up. And there'll be another Robin…_ our _Robin."_

Raven's cheeks grew warmer as the words entered her head. Damian looked back, and their lips came together more. Smoke and rain mingled together again, and the room filled with a violet haze. Tommy let out the quietest hum, watching curiously as little lights twinkled all around the amethyst-covered hospital room.

In the span of 28 days, Damian had been kidnapped, lost the love of his life, been stabbed through the heart, and died. But he also rediscovered who he was at his heart, reunited with his mother, given his grandmother's ring to his Raven, and now held a pure, perfect new life in his arms.

Everything was the way it needed to be.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

 _Titans Island, Jump City. March 17th, 2018. 3:17 PM._

Raven let her body drift to the grass, looking up at the clouds as she lighted to the ground on her back. Reaching out with her mind, she peeked in on each of her friends; Jaime was in his room talking to his grandfather over the phone. Garfield and Tara were strewn across the sofa in the livingroom, some old horror flick on the TV. Kori and Jon were in the Training Room, working on expands Jon's capabilities– _"aggressive conditioning"_ , Kori called it. She could feel Jon seething with irritation, his punches snapping all around their instructor, throwing great gusts of wind behind them. And she needn't reach out to find her Damian… she could see him shuffle up across the lawn, dropping to his knees as he drew closer. She smiled at him as he flipped around to lay down, resting his head on her stomach. She brought a hand up to his head, her cheeks turning pink as her fingers played in his hair. They kept on gazing up at the sky, watching all different shapes come and go in the wisps of white fluff in the air.

"So…" Damian said in a half-whisper, his head slowly rising and falling with Raven's stomach as she breathed. "After we're married, where do you think we should live?"

Raven let out a low hum as she pondered the question. "I haven't thought about it too much…" she replied softly. "I guess I figured we'd make that decision when it came closer to time. But I mean, yeah… guess it wouldn't hurt to think about it."

"I mean, don't think I'm pressing you for an answer or anything…" Damian raised his head up just a bit, looking up at Raven's face. She smiled and placed a hand on the boy's forehead, and he let his head drop softly back to her body.

"I know baby, I know." Raven let a sigh drift past her lips as she thought. "… I mean, we would have to get our own place. That's a given… maybe somewhere small, like Dick and Barbara's place."

"Yeah, I like that…" Damian let a smile slip across his face as he began to blush. "Maybe some place off in the suburbs, I dunno. A little house with a big yard, enough from for a dog or two, maybe a little slide and swings for the kids."

"Kids? Like _plural?_ " Raven rose an eyebrow as her free hand slid into his. "There's an interesting idea… a boy and a girl, maybe."

"Yeah… but where?" The young man wondered. "We could stay here in California…"

"Maybe we could move back to New Jersey," Raven mused, "We could be near your dad if anything happens."

"Who knows?" Damian grinned. "Maybe we'll run off to Kansas, live in some little farm town, go to Friday night football every week." Raven cracked, pulling her Damian's head into her chest as she sat back up laughing. "I know, I know. I'm a dork."

"Yeah…" Raven pressed her lips against his head. "But you're _my_ dork."

Damian smiled, straightening up and looking into Raven's eyes. "Always." He held his head back to her chest, as closed his eyes as he felt the soft thump of her heart against his cheek. Raven put her arms around him, one hand gently holding his head to her as she looked down at him, love filling her eyes as a cool breeze blew across the island, its subtle chill gently kissing their skin as it passed over them.

"Y'know…" the witch whispered. "… It's not gonna be easy going every day like today."

"I know that…" Damian kept his voice low, gently dotting kisses on the girl's chest, right over her heart. "But for every day my heart stops, there'll be a day where I can sit and listen to yours beat that makes it all worth it."

Raven felt her breath catch in her throat as his lips pressed into her skin, and she let out a quiet, shaky hiss as her head rolled back, her eyes closing. A pale hand slowly came to rest on the back of Damian's neck, and he smiled as he lifted his head up, placing a few quick pecks on her chin and down her jaw. The girl's cheeks burned vermilion, and her arms snaked around his neck as she fell back, pulling him to the ground in her embrace. Damian rubbed his nose against her cheek as the laid there, his own arms slipping around her waist as he pulled her to her side. He pulled his face away, looking into her eyes for a moment, watching the clouds in her irises crackle and flash with light as the whirled in a torrent of emotion.

"Are you alright?" He whispered. She smiled, her face still completely flushed, and she pulled him close, touching her forehead to his.

"I'm wonderful," Raven sighed. "You're wonderful, Damian. I can't picture a better moment than this one."

Damian closed his eyes, smiling as he felt her all around him. Her presence was like a blanket on a snow day, hot soup on a sick day, and sleeping in on a Sunday all rolled into one. She smelled like strawberries… _God, it was so right._ He could never deserve this… he was not, by any definition, a good man. He had done awful, horrible things. He had hurt so many people in his life. And yet, someone allowed him to find his way to Raven. Karma was a joke. _Had_ to be. She was… _perfect_. There was no other way to describe it. She was perfect. A crackling fireplace when it stormed outside, a lighthouse when the waves were crashing down, an oasis in the heat of the desert… _that_ was Raven.

"… we should go on another date." He opened one eye, waiting to see her reaction.

Raven's lips curled just enough to form a smile, and her own eyes fluttered back open. "I'd like that," she said quietly. "Are you free tonight?"

Damian grinned. "I am indeed. What do you think… Bertinelli's at 7:30, then see what we find around town?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "You're funny. _Nobody_ just walks into Bertinelli's, not even a Wayne. You have to make reservations _weeks_ in advance."

Damian just nodded and gave her a wink.

Raven's eyebrows rose slowly. " _You didn't…_ "

Damian planted a quick peck on Raven's lips. " _Surprise._ "

 _Bertinelli's Bistro, Jump City. March 17th, 2018. 8:24 PM._

"Might we be able to interest the two of you in any dessert this evening?"

The restaurant was dimly lit, candles here and here casting their flickering lights which melded with low-light bulbs hidden behind artistically-designed lampshades to give off a quiet, intimate atmosphere. Damian looked across the table at his date, who shook her head slowly. "No thank you," the young man said, "I think we're ready for the check."

The waiter smirked as his eyebrow cocked. "Of course… I'll get that _right away_ , sir." The server turned and walked towards the back, his hair bouncing around in a ponytail as he made his way through the restaurant.

Raven glared back at him. "I don't like the way he said that…" she commented, her voice low. "Yeah, sure, we're a couple of kids, but come on."

"He probably thinks we either saved up for months to come here, or that we're the dine-and-dash type," Damian said smugly. "Little does he know that my father _owns_ this restaurant. We pay this idiot's salary."

Raven held back a laugh as she turned back to face the other Titan. He cleaned up rather well for someone who was so unsophisticated when they first met; under his black slim-fit coat, the Son of Batman wore a red vest and tie, with a black shirt ornamented with (of course) red X-shaped cuff-links. On his tie was a small gold clip in the shape of the Wayne Enterprises logo. (She later looked it up out of curiosity; the clip was, in fact, solid gold, and was worth $8,300. Again, that was _just_ the clip.) Raven couldn't help snickering a bit when she peeked down at his ankles to find him wearing argyle socks in black and grey with red cross-hatching. He never struck her for an argyle man, but apparently she was mistaken. The slim-fit suit look was definitely working for him, and his slicked-back hairstyle made him look like the high-brow socialite he and his father often pretended to be. He looked a bit older, too… the waiter had even mistakenly offered them a sampling of some of their wines when they first sat down. She and Damian had a good laugh about that, which drew some unwanted attention from the other patrons.

Damian, meanwhile, had hardly been able to take his eyes off Raven from the moment she met him outside the Tower. She looked stunning; she wore her hair up in a dignified style, which gave her an air of confidence to mask her inner demure while also drawing his attention to her exposed neck and shoulders. She had arrived wearing a long, translucent blue shawl over her body, but she'd slipped it off when they sat down, leaving her in a black strapless dress at came down to just above her knees, which drew attention to her feminine shape while still maintaining her modesty. She'd decided to wear flats tonight… which didn't bother Damian at all (he thought high-heels were stupid anyways; if it makes walking difficult, it defeats the purpose of footwear entirely), but he noticed they were open-toed, and he was able to make out a deep blue shade of polish on her toenails. He didn't know why he noticed it, but he did, and it was cute. She wore her brooch from a thin white-gold chain around her neck, and little purple gemstones dangled from her ears. A birthday gift from his father, is he recalled correctly. He looked back to her face, noticing that, unlike many other women in the establishment this evening, Raven's makeup was certainly minimal, no more than she wore any other day. The only thing he noticed that she'd done any differently had been her lips, which were coated in a dark red lipstick. (It was some brand she apparently heard about from Kori, which was known for not coming off once applied. She'd tested this, of course, by planting an exaggerated _smack_ of a kiss on his cheek the moment she walked out of the Tower… they were right, it didn't come off.)

After a moment, the smug waiter returned with their bill in his hand. Damian grinned as he handed the kid a check proudly signed Damian Wayne rather large across the bottom. When the waiter peeked at the check as Damian rose to help Raven from her chair, his eyes went wide as he recognized the logo on the check he'd just been given. The two Titans barely held back their laughter when they saw the poor boy run a hand roughly through his hair as he realized he'd been sassing at a Wayne the entire night. The two barely walked a block away before they burst out laughing, falling all over each other.

"Oh man, we can _never_ go back there!" Raven cried, leaning into Damian's chest for support to keep her from collapsing to the ground as she giggled. "Did you see the looks we were getting?"

"I knoooow! I'm pretty sure the old lady sitting behind us called us _brats_ when we mentioned how old we were!" Damian clasped his hands over his eyes as he cackled. "Oh, man…"

That two stood there on the sidewalk laughing for awhile before their giggles died down, and they continued walking trough the city. Eventually they found their way to Central Park, and smiled as they saw children and families playing, dogs running about, and other couples strolling arm-in-arm in the place where, last they'd visited, was completely empty and covered in snow.

"So what were we talking about before we went crazy laughing so hard back there?" Damian asked with a smile still plastered across his face.

"You mean back in the restaurant? I think it was something to do with how quiet it's gotten around here lately," Raven replied, taking hold of Damian's arm as they walked. "I mean… you've noticed, right? Even when we're just patrolling for little stuff, it seems like nobody's out and about anymore…"

"Yeah," Red X said under his breath, his smile finally easing up as he pondered the situation. "I mean sure, Jump has never had anything on Gotham, but… well, it's still a big city. No city is without crime. But lately everyone seems to be– oh hey," Damian pointed into a nearby tree at the little silhouettes of several feathered creatures perched in the branches. "More crows."

"That's strange… I didn't know Jump City had crows," Raven commented. "Of course, I don't really pay much attention to what birds live where, but I didn't think–"

Raven stopped short as an explosion shook the ground beneath them, and smoke began to pour into the sky in the direction of the Jump City Library. After their initial brace, Damian let out a groan.

"Come on…" he griped. "Why now? Why _tonight?_ "

Raven just smiled and shook her head. "Come on, Boy Wonder. We got work to do," the mage teased as she pinched at Damian's side, rising into the air as she flew ahead. Damian followed on foot, pulling his red mask out of his inner coat pocket and sliding it onto his face.

By the time Red X had reached the Library (which, granted, would have taken much less time had he been in full uniform… or planned on _canning his and Raven's date night_ ), the whole team had gathered inside, and were busy at work putting out the fire. Having retrieved an emergency breather from Jon, Damian rushed inside to join them, grimacing as he felt the heat of the flames licking at his suit through the fabric. His eyes darted all around the main hall of the library, looking for anyone in need of assistance; he knew that without his belt, he wouldn't be much help with the actual putting out of the fire (his father would have been more useful, but frankly… Damian wasn't quite as intelligent and quick-thinking as his father yet), so he knew his efforts would be best utilized in getting people to safety. Searching around for anyone, however, he found nothing… until he came to the Children's section. There, lying on the floor, was what appeared to be a child covered up by a blanket. Smart kid, staying low and covering up to keep the smoke out.

"Come here, little one," Damian called out over the sound of the conflagration all around them as he slowly inched forward, his hands outstretched. "You don't need to be afraid, I'm here to help you get out of here. Just take my ha–"

As the blanket whipped aside, Damian realized three things. One, this child didn't need any help. Two, this wasn't a child at all. And three, he really should try to be more careful in these situations… unfortunately, these realizations came to him as the solid steel of a boot heel shot right into his jaw, knocking him back several feet and sending the breather flying from his mouth, landing on his chest. As Damian scrambled to his feet upon re-applying his breather, he (begrudgingly) pulled the springlocks at his wrists, frowning quite hard as his X-blades tore the sleeves of his suit all to ribbons. He raised his armed fists, shifting into stance… but froze for a moment at what stared back.

Standing there, having assumed a stance just like his own, was another Red X.

The suit was practically identical: same cape, same belt, same X-blades. It was almost like looking in a mirror, save for two distinct differences: firstly, instead of the red eye mask, this Red X wore a full face mask that covered their entire head, fashioned to look like the top half of a skull, with a red X over the left eye. Secondly, while about the same height as Damian, this impostor's body was a tad smaller than him at the shoulders and around the waist, but slightly wider at the hips… this Red X was female.

"Okay… I've heard what they all say about imitation and flattery…" Damian quipped. "… but I'm gonna need to ask you to get out of my suit."

The false X said nothing, but quickly advanced towards Damian, darting left and right as she moved like a ghost through the fire around them. Damian instantly raised his defenses, and the two X's began their strange dance, the clanging sounds of metal bouncing off metal ringing out over the crackle of the library falling apart around them as blade collided with blade, both combatants moving in a flurry around the library. As Damian continued to fight back at this pseudo-Titan's onslaught, he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd been in this situation before. Something was familiar about this new enemy, and it wasn't just his suit… but whatever it was, it made him feel uneasy.

His mind slipping into combat mode, Damian quickly came up with a plan, diving behind the smoldering remains of the front desk as the other X leaped after him. As she came down over him, the Titan let out a short cry as he slung a handful of embers into her face. She instinctively flinched, waving her hands frantically to dispel the cloud of glowing ashes coming at her eyes, and Damian took advantage of her momentary drop in defenses, quickly swiping several small, shallow cuts into her abdomen. The false X let out a cry of pain (her voice modulated and distorted through her mask), and fell to the ground. Damian pounced, pinning her to the ground and raising an X-blade to her throat.

" **Start talking, faker!** " The true Red X barked. "Who are you? Why did destroy the library!?"

" _Come now, Damian…"_ the impostor mused. _"If I wanted you to know who I was yet, why would I wear a mask?"_

Damian paused, his eyes opening wide. "… what did you just call me…?"

" _We'll meet again soon, Red X. I promise."_ Just as the words sounded from the fake X's mask, the both of them were enveloped in a cloud of smoke that burst out from the impostor's belt. When the gas cleared, Damian was all alone, the other X having slipped right out from beneath his fingers.

As the two had fought, the other Titans were busy fighting back at the flames; shortly after their battle ended, the last of the flames died down. Damian stumbled out of the library, and looked down at himself… his brand-new suit he'd bought just for tonight hung from his body in tatters. His tie had been ripped apart, the pin nowhere to be found, and several small holes were present in his shirt, some of them dripping with blood from fresh wounds. One of his shoes had gone missing as well, and the other was… oh God, it was on fire. Damian frantically stamped the fire out of his foot, and as he slowly stopped hopping about, he sank to his knees. He stayed there for a moment in the doorway, still trying to process everything that had just happened, until he heard someone plop down beside him. When he looked up, Damian almost broke down crying.

Raven's hair hung down in every direction from her head, frizzed and messy from all the action. All that remained of her shawl was a little it of blue cloth around her shoulders, and her dress was torn at her side, exposing a long stripe of skin along her hip. She was completely barefoot, with her toes resting on the concrete beneath them, but her blue toenail polish was somehow untouched. An earring was missing, but by some miracle she still had the brooch hanging undamaged around her neck. She sighed as she looked up at the sky above, them down at a scrap of paper in her hands.

"… you know the library was a front. They built it to hide the Federal Reserve underneath…" the witch sighed. "The fire was a cover-up. A distraction to keep us busy while the bad guys made off with all the gold…" she handed him the scrap of paper in her hand. "He left you a note." Damian opened it up, and a hateful growl rumbled in his chest.

On the paper was a stamped green question mark, with the most awful chicken-scratch handwriting. _I'll be in touch._

"So how'd you do?" She turned to Damian. "Are you alright?"

Damian sat in silence, crumpling up the note and looking back down at the concrete.

Raven felt the strain on her Damian's mind. "… Baby? C'mon, say something."

Damian kept his head down, his eyes drifting slowly over and glancing over at the mage-girl. "… I was attacked in there… by another Red X. I'm pretty sure they were female, but they wore a full mask, so I don't now. But… everything about them–their stance, their moves, the way they ran, jumped, even spoke–I've met them before… they called me by my name. I know I've met them before… before the Titans… before Robin."

Raven stared back at Damian quietly for a moment, then nodded slowly. "We'll find them. You know we will."

Damian's hands trembled as he looked back at Raven. "… Raven, I'm sorry… tonight was supposed to be perfect… I just wanted to give you–"

Damian froze as he Raven pulled him into her arms, taking his lips with with her own. This time, they both tasted like smoke, and smelled much the same. But as his eyes closed, all that frustration dissolved. His fireplace, his lighthouse, his oasis… she took him away to another world in their minds, and they were all that mattered. Raven pulled her lips away from his, and he let himself drop as she pulled his head into her lap, stroking his hair.

"You don't have to be sorry, Damian…" the half-demon cooed down at her boy. "You give me more than I could ever ask for every day. You're all I need." She smiled as he curled up next to her, his hands resting on her legs as he let his stress hiss out of him with his breath. "You're mine, Damian. I'm yours, and your mine, always. That's all that matters."

The two of them sat there for a short while, Raven's hands running through Damian's hair, and the younger Titan let his eyes close, the warmth of her body next to his lulling him into a half-sleep.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

 _Titans Tower, Jump City. April 25th, 2018. 2:14 AM._

Damian sat at his desk, pouring over everything he could find on Eddie Nashton. He'd been at this for the past hour, trying to prepare himself for anything Riddler could through at them, familiarizing himself with all his past schemes to see if there were a pattern to his riddles. He pushed his sunglasses up on his eyes as he scanned the words on the screen; he'd taken to wearing sunglasses as he did desk work in order to ease the strain on his eyes. Jon thought it was dumb, but it seemed like it was working.

As he looked over everything he could find, he found his mind drifting back to the false Red X he'd encountered in the library. It didn't take much to figure out she was from the League of Assassins; he figured everyone must have scattered when his mother disbanded it, but he never expected any of them to come after him… or, for that matter, where to even find him. She was obviously League, but something was different… even his personal Guard weren't that skilled. Where had he met her before…?

His train of thought was interrupted by a knock on his window. He turned to see Raven and Jon floating outside. _Lord above, what are they up to now?_ Rolling his eyes, Damian pushed himself up to his feet and shuffled over to his window, pushing it open. He was greeted by a gust of warm morning air as Jon quickly scooped him up in his arms, a cheek-to-cheek grin across his face.

" _Jonathan Samuel Kent, you put me back down right now!_ " Damian whispered fiercely. " _I have a Kryptonite ring, and I swear, I am_ _ **not afraid to use–**_ "

"Oh calm down, grumpy gills!" Jon teased, rubbing his cheek against Damian's. "We just wanted to take you out and have a little fun before work today!" Ugh, why was he so happy? It was two in the morning, _nobody_ is supposed to be this happy after two in the morning!

"Jon, I'm _always_ working. You know that…" Damian groaned, rubbing his eyes. "What do you think I'm doing up this late on a night when we're not out on patrol?"

"I dunno. Videogames, I guess?" The hybrid tossed Damian over to Raven, who caught him with her magic. "Rae, does Damian like videogames?"

"I've never seen him play one, so I couldn't say," the mage replied, her hands up to maintain the speed holding Damian in the air. "Do you, Damian?"

"Never tried one, so…" the powerless Titan paused for a moment. "Hey, wait a minute. Why did you agree to this? You know I have work that needs to get done!"

"Yeah, but I also know that you're going to work yourself to death," Raven said with a half-smile. "And I don't want you doing that, because I actually like you."

"God only knows why," Damian quipped in reply, his lips curling into a smirk. "If you actually like someone like me, they oughta lock you up in Arkham. You're a _psychopath_."

"I like you too, what does that make me?" Jon asked, an eyebrow raised.

Damian looked over his shoulder, grinning cheekily. "An _imbecile_."

"Rude," Raven muttered, smacking Damian in the back of his head. "Come on, let's go out for a bit."

"Alright… but only because I like you two." Damian sighed, smiling and taking Raven's hand as they drifting out away from the Tower. "Can we try to be back by sunrise?"

Raven smiled. "I think we can make that work."

…

"Put your hands in the air, Harkness!" The sirens all around the Bank of Perez wailed as a swarm of policemen held up their guns at the entryway, where Digger Harkness stood just inside with a knife pressed to a young woman's throat.

"Ha! Yeh, like you buggers got anything you can pull on me!" the perp shouted, grinning wildly as he jerked his hostage about. "Now here's how we gonna do this: you lot drop ya pea shooters, me an' my boys in here head out without anyone gettin' any ideas about tailin' us, and the pretty lady here gets ta keep her jugulah! Ya hear me?"

"We can't let you go, Harkness! Not with all that cash," the police captain called, wrinkles forming on his weathered forehead. "Let the woman go and give yourself up, and I promise no harm will come to you!"

"Yeh, nah," Harkness called out with a wink. "Time's up, mate! We got plen'y more nice folks in here, so I'll be takin' this o–w-what the–?"

Digger looked down to see his whole arm, along with the blade in his hand, enveloped in darkness, like a shadow had stretched right over it, and pulled slowly to the side as the hostage in his arm was engulfed in the same inexplicable darkness, drifting into the air away from him and touching down to the ground behind the fleet of squad cars.

"Captain Boomerang… you have to be joking."

Harkness whipped around to see three kids inside the building behind him. He let out a grunt of agitation when he saw each one wearing a cape of sort, and two of them hovering just off the ground.

"You gotta be _kiddin_ ' me," Boomerang complained. "I skipped town outta Central City tryin' ta get away from you hero-freaks, and now yer tellin' me I gotta deal with the juniors!?"

"You know you can't take all three of us, Harkness," Raven said, her voice wishing through the air like a vapor. "Surrender now, and we won't hurt you…"

"Or better yet, try to fight back." Red X grinned as he cracked his knuckles. "I wanna have some fun with you."

"Don't listen to X here, he's got issues." Superboy smirked, one hand on Damian's shoulder. "Just put the knives and… _boomerangs_ … down, so we can turn you in."

"Hmmm… sorry, mate," Digger replied, his irritation plain to hear in his tone. "I ain't got time for yer little play-date, I got places to be. Let's get this goin'."

Damian cocked an eyebrow as he crossed his arms. "Alright, Titans. Show this idiot how we do."

Harkness flung his switchblade straight for Damian as he reached for a boomerang on his belt. The Son of Batman caught the weapon with minimal effort, and Boomerang found his whole body covered in shadow before Raven flung him against the wall on the left side of the room, several bricks busting loose as he collapsed to the floor. As the crook slowly wobbled back to his feet amongst the debris, Jon rushed forward and shot his fist right into Harkness' gut, knocking him back into the wall a second time and leaving noticeably more damage to its surface as Boomerang fell back to the cold bank floor, completely unconscious. Red X dropped the switchblade, letting it clatter to the ground.

"Well that was _lame_ ," Damian said with a smirk. "I didn't even get to do anything."

Just as the words left his lips, a great red blur rocketed through the bank, sending papers and capes whirling about in the wind. When the air settled, there before them stood a man who looked to be about Nightwing's age, wearing a red suit with a white lightning bolt across his chest. His red hair poked out from the top of his mask, and sparks of static electricity bound to and fro around him for a moment before dying down. Damian immediately recognized him from the hospital when Tommy was born.

"Kid Flash," Red X called out, crossing his arms. "I believe this is your crook?"

The man turned to Damian with a smile. "Actually, it's just Flash now…" he replied. "But yeah, thanks for taking care of him! Woulda done it myself, but I've got other stuff going on. I'll go ahead and take him back to Central, think you could say hey to Kori for me?"

"Will do, Wally," Raven said with a smile and a nod. "It's good to see you again."

"Well thanks, Little Miss Sunshine!" Wally said grinning. "By the way, did I congratulate you two yet? 'Cuz I meant to when we were all in Blüdhaven, but I can't remember."

"Thanks, West." Damian took Raven by the hand and smiled back at the veteran Titan. "It's good to finally not hear the whole 'you're taking things too fast' routine."

"Oh please, Little D. I'm a _Flash_ …" Wally replied with a wink as his body began to crackle with static. "To me, there's no such thing as 'too fast.'" Just as he said this, he turned into a red streak once more, whizzing his way out the door and taking Harkness along with him.

"Umm… who was that?" Jon said, a confused look on his face.

"That, Jon, was Wally West," Damian turned to Jon with a raised eyebrow. "formerly known as Kid Flash. He was a founding member of the Teen Titans, back when my brother Richard was still Robin."

"Whoa… that's _awesome_ , man!" Jon grinned excitedly as he strolled towards his companions. "Ain't ya glad ya came out with us tonight?"

"Well, I'll admit that was… mildly entertaining," Damian mused. "But now that that's over with, we should head off to–"

" _Helloooo? Testing, testing… is thing on?"_

Damian froze for a moment. That voice was coming from his communicator. He whipped out the handheld com, and what he saw on the screen aroused an anger in him that nearly caused him to crush the device: on the screen was a green question mark.

" **Riddler…** " Damian growled into the device.

" _Awwwww, the baby birdie remembers me!"_ Riddler taunted from the other end of the com. _"Well, if you remember my name, perhaps that means you also remember my game: proving my intellectual superiority to the world, and demonstrating that no matter how intelligent your friend Batman might claim to be, I'll always, ALWAYS be one step ahead of him!"_

"If you're so hellbent on proving you're smarter than Batman," Red X barked into his device, "then what are you doing on the other side of the country, in _my_ city?"

" _Ho ho! Someone's not asking the right questions! You'll never get anywhere with that mindset, my aggressively simpleton street-scrapping friend."_ The villain chortled heartily through the speaker. _"But if you must know, I'll put it in terms you're hopefully smart enough to understand: I'm aware that Batman invested a substantial amount of time in grooming all of his past and present protégés to try and attain his level of competence, in their physical capabilities as well as their far more important mental capacities. I'm simply doing my rounds to ensure that he knows that this endeavor was a resounding failure. And that starts with you, my little friend; you're not nearly bright enough to track me down, that much is obvious! So after I utterly humiliate you for all the world to see, I'll move on to the other poor saps that Batman has tried so hard to educate. Maybe once he sees how pathetic his attempts at teaching you all have been, he'll finally come to his senses and admit that I, the Riddler, am truly the smartest man in Gotham!"_

"And while you're at it, you make off with a cool 150 billion dollars' worth of gold, is that right?" Damian said through grit teeth, seething at his adversary's unbearably pompous attitude.

" _Well, proving myself the intellectual pinnacle of the world is an expensive undertaking!"_ Riddler taunted. _"It seems a fair settlement to me. Think of it as a spontaneous, non-optional crowdfunding event! And I'd like to thank aaaaall my generous benefactors for doing their part to help me achieve my dream!"_

"Laugh while you can, you egotistical windbag," Damian's eyes squinted as he growled into his communicator. "Because when I find you, I'll take my time beating that smug smile off your face."

" _Oh, I'm sure you'll try your best, my young friend! But as you'll see, you're wits are nothing compared to mine,"_ the crook on the other end said. _"Au revois!"_ With that, Damian's communicator went dead.

"… Maybe we should take a step back…" Jon said, putting his hands up as he floated towards the door.

"This still doesn't give us any answers…" Damian sighed, slipping his communicator back into his belt. "This didn't give us _anything_."

"Damian…" Raven gently put her hand to Damian's chest. "If you want to go home, we can do that. Just say the word."

Damian shook his head. "No… let's stay out for awhile. I wanna keep it off my mind for a little bit."

…

"This is a pretty nice place you found out here, Rae."

"I didn't find it, Jon. Kori showed it to me."

Damian sat underneath the inexplicably-placed pine tree beside the little body of water he'd decided in his mind to call "Rachel's Pond". (At first he called it Raven's Pond, but he figured that was bound to confuse people, start rumors that didn't need to be started. Using her legal name would be much more appropriate, considering that's what everyone would probably be calling her once her joining the Wayne family became public information.) Beside him sat Raven herself, who leaned her head on his shoulder as she let out a yawn, and Jonathan leaned up against the tree on the other side of him, having flown back to the Tower to retrieve his guitar. Truth be told, he was glad Raven and Jon had called him out for this; he needed the break from his work. He hadn't stopped his research for the past eight days, and he even had begun to see double as a result of staring at his confounded computer screen for so long. And if he really had to take a break, Damian was glad it was with these two; Damian felt like he didn't say it enough, but Raven and Jon really were his two best friends. Sure, they were his Best Man and fiancée, but he still felt like he should spend more time expressing his appreciation for them. Just… y'know, let them know he cared. That's why he came out with them tonight; they didn't spend enough time together as just their group.

"Man… what a year, huh?" Jon grinned down at his friends as he pushed off of the pine, dropping to the ground and resting his head in Damian's lap. "Think about last April. Where we all were. You two had just gotten together, man. How crazy is that to think about?"

"What's crazier is how long it took us to get together," Raven said with a soft smile as she nestled her head gently into Damian's neck. "Two years ago, I think, was when we first realized we liked each other…"

"Two years, three weeks, four days, and…" Damian checked his watch. 4:30 AM. "about eight and a half hours... For me, anyways. We were on the Ferris wheel…"

"I don't know how we ended up on that thing together…" Raven sighed. "Or why Garfield and Jaime kept cheering. Ferris wheels aren't that exciting." Damian couldn't not laugh at that; she had a REALLY good point.

"So wait… March 30th 20 _16_ , you guys first started liking each other…" Jon looked up at the two of them with an eyebrow cocked. "March 30th 20 _17_ , you started dating… and then March 30th 20 _18_ , you got engaged? That settles it, you have to get married on March 30th."

"I dunno…" Damian smiled, looking down contently at Raven's hand in his. "I kinda like the idea of a May wedding. Richard and Barbara got me into it."

"Oh, right… they wanted to get married next month, didn't they?" Raven lifted her head up, turning to look at Damian with sleepy eyes.

"They did… but all things considered, it was worth putting off," the Son of Batman replied. "This way, Tommy can actually be at his parents' wedding. He may not remember it when he grows up, but it'll be good to have him there."

"I agree…" Raven rubbed her eyes wearily. "Ugh, man… at this rate, I won't make it to sunrise…"

"Wait, noooooo, you can't go to sleep!" Jon picked his head up and put his guitar aside. "I can't carry both of you _and_ my guitar back home!"

"Shhhhh, Jonno, juss…" Raven's eyelids drooped low as he sleepily pawed at Damian's chest. "Jussemme… wuh, _whoa boy_ …"

Damian watched with a soft smile as his Raven fought back as best she could at the craving for slumber. "Come on, let's head back home. I'll carry you on foot, that sound alright?" The boy's cheeks went rosy as the sleepy witch nodded her head, leaning into his arms as he lifted her up.

" _Aww_ , aren't you two just precious?" Jon snickered as he picked up his instrument and strapped it to his back. Raven curled in closer to Damian's chest as they started the long walk back to Titans Tower.

By the time they reached home, it was almost 6 o'clock. Just as the three heroes went to open the front door, the first beams of sunlight peered out over the river, making the flowing waters dance with a light that looked almost alive. Damian smiled at the sight, holding Raven to him just a little tighter as he and Jon watched the yellow ball of light emerge from below the horizon, illuminating the world around them. It was a new day… but they were tired. It was time to turn in. Damian pressed his lips to Raven's forehead as he turned and carried her inside.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

 _Titans Tower, Jump City. May 2nd, 2018. 3:13 AM._

"DON'T LET HER ESCAPE! _CHASE THIS FAKER DOWN!_ "

Damian's voice was ragged and furious as he tore down the streets of Jump City on his X-cycle, with Raven, Jon, and Jaime flying overhead. About fifty feet ahead of him, flying down the road on a bike identical to his, was the false Red X. She had shown up just a few minutes ago during their patrol; Damian nearly choked on his water as she whipped past him, landing a solid drop-kick to Garfield's chest with her steel boot heel. He soared through the air, eyes wide with pain and shock, and landed on the trio of would-be robbers behind the electronics store on Fifth and Wolfman, before the fake Titan hit Tara and Kori with tranq-stars, leaving them three Titans short of their full team. And being the best tactician on the team to begin with, that put Damian in charge of the remaining four Titans, and he intended to catch this impostor tonight. No one was going to use his symbol for crime.

The pseudo-Titan took a hard right at the next intersection, barreling down the street between cars like it was child's play. Cursing to himself, Damian pressed a button on the left throttle, and the bike suddenly popped into the air with a quick jet burst, the bladed wheels swiveling to a horizontal position that propelled the motorbike into the air as a hidden jet engine built into the rear of the vehicle burst to life, sending the X-cycle and its rider blitzing after the other X. His other Titans quickly pulled into a triangular formation behind him.

"Jaime, see if you can close in and incapacitate that bike, but be careful! We don't want any civilians getting hurt! Raven, go with him to make sure nobody else gets hurt!"

"You got it, little man!" the Blue Beetle called out as he and Raven dove forward, approaching the false X from the sides.

"What are you and me gonna do?" Superboy asked, his voice just loud enough for Damian to hear over the sound of his bike's jet.

"The only way out of Jump City in this direction is over Haney Bridge! I need you to get me there now, then start running interference, slow her down as much as you can before she hits the bridge so she doesn't plow straight though my barricade!"

"Gotcha!" Jon shouted in reply before grabbing the X-cycle by the backseat. Damian cut the jet, and Jon brought them into a blue whirl over the streets to the edge of Haney's Bridge, where Damian continued to hover just off the ground.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Jon asked worriedly. "This could go south pretty fast if you're not careful."

"Don't worry, Jon, I've got everything under control. This faker is **mine.** " Red X's brow furrowed as he launched a series of pylons out of the bike's sides, each one embedding itself upright into the asphalt of the bridge before activating it's forcefield, creating a wall of sparks over which Damian's bike hovered. "Now go, slow her down!"

Jon nodded before shooting off to start disrupting the false X's momentum. Meanwhile, Jaime and Raven fought their hardest to knock the imitation from her vehicle, but the rider was able to counter every swing Jaime threw, and keeping Raven distracted prevented the mage-girl from using her powers to simply pick the bike up off of the road. This kept up until Jon began firing his heat-vision at the faker, causing her to veer off to the side to avoid his attack while the four of time rapidly approached Haney Bridge, where Damian lie in wait. Jon was successful in causing the criminal to decelerate, his red eye-beams constantly coming close to slicing a wheel right off of the bike. At least, until the Fake Titan managed to lodge a Kryptonite X-star in Superboy's shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain and fall into a roll down Wolfman Street. Raven pulled back to check on him, and the false X managed to get a slice in across Beetle's chest, causing him to fall away as well. As she got close to the end of Wolfman Street, the faker spotted the original Red X glaring back at her. In response, the impostor engaged her own bike's aerial mode, pulling up just shy of Damian's force field enforce drifting down to eye level with him.

"There's nowhere else to run, Faker," Damian growled into the opaque eyes of the skull mask. "Give yourself up, so I don't have to _break_ you."

" _You speak with such confidence, Prince…"_ the false X hissed. _"But I can see by the look in your eyes that you're pointing all your attention on me now. Your focus does you credit…"_

Damian said nothing, but kept his eyes fixed on the false Titan, trying to pin down who she might be. She called him Prince, so that confirmed his theory that she was of the League. But she had skills that few even in the League had acquired. Only himself and a handful of others were as fine-tuned…

" _Unfortunately, it is also a weakness I may exploit."_ The other X snapped her fingers, and a faint boom could be heard off in the distance. Damian looked up to follow the sound, and his eyes widened as he saw what must have been a helicopter coming down in a fireball towards the river. Squinting, the boy barely made out the distant shape of a person falling from the sky, presumably from said helicopter.

" _Catch me, or save them…"_ the impostor whispered. _"Your choice, 'hero'."_ With that, the fake X turned and flew off as Damian tore up into the sky, cursing himself for not expecting something as cheap and underhanded as this. As the Son of Batman pushed his vehicle as fast as it would go, he realized that he might not be able to reach the civilian soon enough to save them. So thinking quickly, Damian threw the X-cycle into full-auto thrust, and carefully perched on the seat of the bike as he sliced through the air towards the citizen. Just as she was about to pass him on her descent, Damian flipped a switch on the side of the bike, and the seat shot forward through the separating windshield, launching him forward like a slingshot just in time to grab the civilian as tight as he could.

"I've got you, ma'am. Everything is gonna be fine, just hold on as tight as you can." Damian shouted over the sound of the air blistering past their bodies before reaching up to his ear and calling out over his comlink. "Calling all Titans, this is Red X. I've got a civilian here, and we're dropping fast. I could use some air support. Since I can't fly… at all."

The woman screamed as they hurtled closer to the ground.

"… Now would be good."

As if on cue, his teammates sprang to action; Damian felt a powerful gust of wind push upward against them as Beetle beat vigorously at the air with his wings, and he saw the familiar shadow stretch out over the two of them as Raven pulled them upward with all her might. This slowed their descent enough to prevent a fatal injury upon impact, but they were still coming in fast enough that if they hit the ground now, one of them would never walk again. Damian turned the twos of them in the air so that he was set to break the woman's fall and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the impact…

His eyes popped back open, and he let out a sigh of relief with the breath he had unintentionally held in as he felt his back collide with something much softer: Superboy's chest. Jon threw his arms around the two of them as best he could and carried them carefully to the sidewalk below.

"It's alright now, miss." Jon's voice was soft and comforting as he gently hugged the trembling woman to help her calm down. "Was anyone else in the helicopter with you?"

"N-no, it was just me…" the poor lady couldn't help but whimper as the tears began streaming down her face. "Y-you, you saved m-muh-my life… thank you s-so much…"

"Everything is gonna be okay now, ma'am." Damian put a gentle hand on the weeping civilian's back. "Go home, take some time to rest. Tell your family you love them." Jon slowly walked the woman down the street, and Damian turned to see Jaime and Raven approaching him.

"Thanks for slowing us down, guys," Damian sighed with a smile. "If you hadn't been there, there's no way Jon and I could've–"

He was cut off by Raven's hand grabbing his collar and dragging him into the shadows. By now, Damian's body had grown used to the feeling of shadow-melding, so he didn't collapse when they emerged in Raven's bedroom.

"Wha? Raven, why did you bring me to–"

 _ **SLAP.**_

Cut off again, this time by Raven's hand whipping across his face. Now he actually did fall to the floor, rubbing his stinging cheek as he looked up at his fiancée who just stared back down at him, her eyes filled with panic and anger.

" _ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?_ " The half-demon cried out as Damian slowly pulled himself back to his feet.

"What's gotten into you?" The young Wayne snipped back. "Did you seriously just hit me!?"

"Oh, did _I_ seriously just do that?!" Raven shouted, her face turning red as she grabbed her boy by the shirt and shoved him onto her bed. "Did _I_ just do something _completely insane?!_ Well here's a better question: _did you seriously just pull something like that without giving us a heads-up!?_ "

"Why are you freaking out about this?" Damian went to stand up off of the bed, but Raven just threw him back down into it. "It worked out fine. We saved that woman's life."

"Jaime and I _barely_ got to you in time!" Raven's hands were swinging all around as she shouted. "Think about what could have happened to you. Think about what almost happened."

"It didn't happen."

"But it could've."

"But it _didn't!_ "

"But it _could've!_ " Raven glared at Damian as her shadow spread across the room. "Damian! What would the rest of us have done if something happened to you?!"

"You would keep moving forward," Damian grimaced, countering Raven's glare with a scowl. "That's what you do in our line of work. If someone goes down, you keep moving. You remember them, but you just keep moving."

"You **know** it's not that simple, Damian." Raven's ears burned as she felt her frustration rise to the surface, like a pot about to boil over. " _Not_ between you and me."

"What did you expect me to do? Let that woman die?" Damian threw his hands up, exasperated. "That's not how we do things! _We ALWAYS put the people first!_ "

"I expected you to think of something that wouldn't get you _killed_!" Raven's voice broke as she shot back at him. "I expected you to think about the rest of us! _Alfred_ , your _dad_ , your _brothers_ , _Jon_ , _**me!**_ "

"I do this sort of thing of thing _all the time!_ " Damian finally stood back up, not letting the girl push him back down. " _What makes_ _ **now**_ _any different!?_ " Raven grabbed the boy's shirt, jerking him in as close as she could.

" _ **Because I already lost you once, and I CAN'T DO IT AGAIN!**_ "

Damian froze.

Raven's breath was heavy as the weight of her words bore down on the both of them.

In the empty air that filled the silence of the room, Raven breath trembled in her chest. "Damian… I saw… you die…" the witch-girl placed a shaky hand on Damian's face. "I watch the light… fade from your eyes… I reached out, to listen to your mind… but you were _gone_. You were _dead_." Raven's lower lip quivered as she pressed herself to Damian's chest. "I… I can't… _not again_ , I… I can't go through that again…"

Damian stood silent, mortified at what his Raven just told him. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her, and held her tight as she whimpered, her shadow lapping back around the room, drenching them in pitch black darkness.

"… Raven, I'm so sorry…" Damian whispered in the blackness. "… I didn't… I didn't realize…"

"Just _promise_ me…" the girl replied weakly. " _Promise me_ I won't lose you again…"

Damian just held the girl close, letting himself become lost in her presence as her shadow slowly shrank back to its original size beneath her feet.

"I promise…"


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

 _Jump City. May 4th, 2018. 11:44 AM._

Damian scanned the shelves of books lining the wall of the little shop, overcome with embarrassment. He was always so good about keeping an eye on the gas in both his bikes, so having to pull over because his motorcycle literally wouldn't go any farther was a total shock to him, and it was accompanied by many bewildered looks and annoying questions from bystanders outside the bookstore where he'd come to a stop, because "why is that kid riding a Yamaha, he can't possibly be old enough to drive". Wanting to avoid any more awkward questioning, Damian decided run into the bookstore, because somehow he forgot to charge his phone last night, and when he went to ping a Lyft, his phone was dead. Of course he had his charger on him (preparedness is a prerequisite for victory, after all… although he'd be better prepared if he'd just remembered to charge his phone), but it would still take a while for the cellular device to build up enough juice to get him home. So he went inside, asked if he could plug in, and the man behind the counter was nice enough to let him charge up, as well as use the store's landline call for someone to bring him a gas can.

While he waited, Damian figured that the least he could do to repay the man for his service was take a look around the store, see if anything caught his eye, which it certainly did: Todd had been nagging at him to pick up a copy of Wuthering Heights for sometime ("It's a _classic_! How have you not _read_ it yet?" his brother carried on), and Raven mentioned that she had enjoyed it. Damian figured it couldn't be any worse than the last book someone had recommended to him… Make no mistake, Machine Man was perfectly fine as a book. It just wasn't as spectacular as Damian had been led to believe. It relied greatly on ironic turns and played heavily towards the action sci-fi crowd, which Damian found to be an odd mixture that could have worked out better than Drake had convinced him it would. Either way, Damian decided to pick up Wuthering Heights, as well as a new copy of Tolkien's Unfinished Tales for Raven. (She had apparently loaned her copy to Tara, who then let Garfield take a look at it… Raven got it back yesterday in shreds. She was pretty upset about it.) By then, Damian's phone had enough power for him to call Jon, who was there a few seconds later with a can of gas for the bike. Say what you will about ol' Jonno, he was dependable. So once a Damian filled up on gas, he took off without another word to anyone on the street, determined to get home as soon as he could.

And why did Damian not pay attention to his fuel tank? Because he was distracted. Everything was practically upside-down in his life at the moment; despite his claims that he would publicly bring Damian to his knees, Riddler had yet to make any further appearances to anyone, and certainly wasn't leaving any clues to his whereabouts. Damian didn't know if he had been immensely over-prepared for his one-on-one with the green-suited puzzler, or if Riddler intended on dragging out this waiting game long enough to wear him thin, but he was upset about it either way. And somehow, Riddler was on the back-burner of Damian's mind, as he was much more concerned about Raven… she was still shaken up over what he'd done. Damian kicked himself for being so inconsiderate of how she was feeling, because he hadn't seen her so quiet since before Pier 64 two years ago. She refused to acknowledge it, insisted that everything was fine, but her sentences had become quick, one-word snippets of speech, and it seemed as though she held onto him tighter now than she'd ever done before, wouldn't let go for much longer. Everywhere in the Tower he went, she would be close by, like she didn't want to let him out of her sight for a second.

Damian would have loved this if not for the fact that it came as a result of her hurting… it had taken every bit of misdirection, distraction, and disappearance he could think of to keep her from following him right out into town. Why he insisted on going alone, he still didn't know… but he had an inkling. It was that craving for intimacy that he'd been experiencing, the need to be more affectionate with one another. He and Raven had discussed it, sure, and they agreed they wanted to get closer. But something kept eating at him, gnawing at him from the pit of his stomach. He wanted more, and this time he didn't like it. He was afraid to find out how much more would be enough. He was an addict, hooked on her like a drug he'd barely tasted. She was his heroin. He didn't know what he could do, because for every thought he came up with for how to fight back against his body's unruly impulses, ten more thoughts manifested that made him turn beet red, filled him with shame, and that he couldn't for the life of him shake off. That look in her eyes that made him wonder if she wanted him as badly as he wanted her, that curve in her lips that made him want to drown himself in her kiss, the warmth of her silky-smooth skin that swallowed him up every time she drew near…

Damian found himself so consumed by his thoughts, he failed to notice the drunk man plowing through the red light to his left until his bike–and the world–had already disappeared from underneath him.

 _Titans Tower, Jump City. May 4th, 2018. 11:44 AM._

"He ran out of gas."

Raven kept her eyes shut as she focused on Damian from the roof of the Tower. She could feel the breeze running through her long black hair, she could hear the sound of her breath as the air moved in and out of her lungs. She could even feel Jon's eyes lock onto her, bewildered by her statement. But her attention stayed on her Damian.

"What? Who ran outta…" Superboy ask about to ask, but his voice trailed of as he realized what she was referring to. "… Raven, are you _seriously_ watchin' Damian right now?"

"You should go get a can ready for him, he's gonna ask you to bring him enough to get him home."

"Raven, look at me." Jon's brow furrowed as the pale girl turned her head slightly, half-opening one eye. "I get it, alright? What happened was scary, and Damian coulda got hurt real bad if we all hadn'ta been there. But that don't mean ya gotta keep him under lock'n'key like this.–"

"No, Jon. You _don't_ get it." Raven's shadow began to waver as she opened both eyes to look back the boy. "You could have caught him yourself, no problem. You're a Superman, nothing is too big or moves too fast for you to catch. But I couldn't have saved him by myself. I put everything I had into grabbing him, and he still would have died. I understand you're only trying to help… but he already died in my arms once. I'm not gonna lose him again."

The two of them sat in silence for a moment. Jon let out a sigh as he stood up to fly away. "… Y'know, I can hear your heartbeat from anywhere in the world. Once you found him, I could hear his again too… and I heard it stop." His feet slowly drifted off the roof as he moved out into the open air. "… you weren't the only one who lost him that day."

Raven's eyes were already closed again by the time Jon took off towards the nearest gas station.

She hadn't thought about that, but it made sense… like she said, he was a Kryptonian. Of course he could hear their heartbeats. Of course he liked to check on them every so often… she did that all the time. So of course he was probably listening for her everyday when she left for Gotham, just to see if she'd found their friend yet. Damian wasn't just her best friend… Damian was Jon's friend too. They both loved him.

" _Jon, I'm sorry…"_ she reached out to try to speak to Jon through their minds… she'd never done so before, but she figured it was worth a shot. _"I just… he's all I have. Everything in my heart, it's for him…"_

Silence.

Again, it was worth a shot.

She turned her mind back to Damian. Apparently he'd picked something out at the bookstore, but she couldn't tell what. He had already put the purchase out of his mind and was just then texting Jon for gas. He walked out the door, and there was Jon, already waiting for him. Many things could be said about Jonathan Kent… but he was a good friend.

Damian seemed troubled, so Raven decided to peek into his mind as he filled the gas tank… she smiled as she saw herself looking back at him in his mind. She blushed as she realized why he seemed so at odds with himself: he wanted to be more. More intimate, more… physical. He was ashamed… no, not just ashamed, afraid. The thought of being so close, so interwoven into someone else… he was terrified. He'd never been in a relationship like that with someone before. Neither had she, now that her mind was on the subject… did she want the same thing? Well… yes. Yes she did. I mean, look at him now. The wind running through his hair, those pale blue eyes looking coldly down the road in front of him, the hands covered in callouses that still felt gentle and welcoming on her skin…

She almost didn't notice the white station wagon racing towards him from his left. But she did. And she nearly shattered when it barreled into him, sending him spinning through the air, crashing into the back windshield of a blue van parked several feet away.

She let out a scream as she threw herself off the edge of the roof, flying towards the city as fast as Azar's magic would carry her.

…

When "Rachel" finally reached the hospital, Jon was already there, hugging his knees anxiously in the corner of the waiting room. As she ran to him, he jumped up to do the same and the two latched onto one another, each one clutching at the other's back for dear life.

" _Oh my God… Jon, oh my God…_ " Raven could barely manage the words before she broke down, falling into the alien's arms as he sobbed.

"I know Rachel, I know," Jon fought as hard as he could to hold himself together. "The doctors are doing everything they can, I swear. It'll be alright… it'll…" he let out a cough, and sucked in a shaky breath as he struggled harder to keep the tears at bay. "Listen, he's alive… he's alive, okay? His heart is still going. He's breathing, his blood is still pumping."

"I saw it, Jon…" the witch's words were broken, and she pulled Superboy in tighter. "I watched him get hit… I… Jon, it was so bad. It happened so fast. It was so fast."

"Rachel, don't talk like that. He's gonna be okay," Jon was insistent, pulling away and looking into Raven's eyes. "I promise you, Damian is gonna be fine."

"Rachel! Jonathan!" The Titans turned to see Bruce and Cassandra Wayne marching towards them.

" _Daddy!_ " Raven cried as she jumped into Bruce's arms. "Oh God, I saw it happen! I saw him!" Bruce wrapped his arm around the half-demon, the other arm bringing Cassie in and holding them both as tight as he could.

"It's gonna be alright, sweetheart… listen to me, that's our boy in there," the Batman whispered into Raven's ear comfortingly. "That's our Damian. You know he's a fighter, you know how strong he is. He's gonna be fine." As he held the two girls close to him, he realized what she'd just done: she didn't cry out "Bruce" or "Mr. Wayne" or even "Batman" (thank God she didn't say Batman). She called him _Daddy_. And as much as it warmed his heart to know she felt welcome in his family, he knew what that meant… they were in a public place, surrounded by slack-jawed ordinary people... and frankly, he was Bruce Wayne. Word was bound to get around. He could already picture the headlines… _"Daddy's Girl: Bruce Wayne's Second Daughter?"_

"Rachel…" Raven looked up over Bruce's shoulder to see Talia al Ghul standing behind them. She rushed forward, cupping Raven's face and looking right into her with her piercing jade eyes. "Rachel, I'm so sorry. We came as soon as we heard…"

As Raven reached up and put a pale hand over Talia's dark fingers, a grey-haired doctor stepped out into the waiting room. "Excuse me, we're looking for the family of Mr. Damian Wayne…?"

Bruce turned to look the man in the eye. "I'm Bruce Wayne. I'm Damian's father… we're his family." The billionaire began gesturing to everyone in their group. "This is his mother, Talia Head, his sister Cassandra, and his fiancée, Rachel Roth. And over there is Jonathan White, Damian's Best Man."

Cassie stepped forward. "How is he?"

The doctor put a hand on Cass' shoulder and smiled. "It's a miracle, but he's gonna be _fine_. We'd like to keep him here for a few days just to be on the safe side, but he's sustained very little injury. We had to pull some glass out of his back, and he'll have to come back in a few months for the stitches to come out, but he's practically undamaged otherwise. No broken bones, no damage to any organs… all he has are some shallow glass wounds and a mild concussion."

" _Oh God!_ " Bruce fell to his knees, hugging Raven close to him as he began to tear up. "Thank God! Oh God, my boy… our boy's okay. He's okay." Talia threw her arms around both of them as Jon ran up and did the same, all of them crying and laughing at the good news.

"Can we see him?" Cass asked, her face expressing her relief.

"Of course. He's just woken up, and asked for Ms. Roth by name." The doctor beckoned them forward. "If you'll all just come with me…"

The group rushed down the hall and into a small room at the end of the corridor. There lying in a bed by the window was Damian, all dressed down in a hospital down, his eyes half-open and glazed over, with a little smile on his face.

"Hey…" the Son of Batman said slowly, still clearly dazed from the sedatives. "Dad? Cassie…? Mama? What are _you guys_ doin' here?"

" _Damian…!_ " Raven ran to the bedside and grabbed her Damian's face, pressing their lips together as tears streamed down her face. Damian's eyes drifted shut as he brought his hand to her face, one lighting on her cheek as the other ran through her hair. After a brief moment, Raven broke away to look into the boy's tired eyes.

Damian licked his lips and grinned back at her. "Rae…" he mumbled, "… have I ever told you you smell like _strawberries_ …?"

Raven bit her lip as she felt her laughter coming up, holding in her reaction as best she could… unlike Jonathan, who had to walk back out into the hallway because he was laughing so hard. "Baby, you were in an accident," she said, fighting back her giggle. "Do you remember?"

"Yeah… yeah, I got hit by a car." Damian scratched his head as he thought back. "Like… I got hit by a car… _into another car_ , right?"

Raven grinned as she nodded. "That's right, Damian," she stuttered. "But the doctors say you're okay. You're gonna have to stay in bed for awhile, but you're gonna be okay."

"Oh, good!" Damian exclaimed, his face beaming. "That's really good! Can I… can I come home?"

"Not yet, baby…" the mage-girl cooed as she stroked Damian's hair. "We need to wait a few days, okay? But I'm gonna be right here. I'll be right here until we get to bring you home."

"M'kay…" Damian smiled back at the girl. "Raven, I'm so glad you're here…"

"Me too, Dame… me too." Raven touched her nose to his gently, prompting a tired giggle from the boy. She turned to walk off so someone else could see him, and…

" _Ooh_ … still cute."

Raven's face turned completely red as she realized what the drug-addled Titan was referring to. Damian lazily snickered as the poor girl walked past Talia, whose jaw had long since dropped at her son's practically non-existent inhibitions.

"Damian!" Talia yelled, biting back a cackle. "That was incredibly inappropriate!"

" _Hey_ , Mama!" Damian shouted, arms outstretched. "I love you, Mama!" Talia just shook her head and wrapped her arms around her son.

"Damian, I think we ought to have Raven heal you now…" Bruce whispers from across the room. "I heard about Riddler being here in California, and it would be best for everyone if we got you back in the field soon."

The half-conscious Damian shook his head. "We rely too heavily on Rae-Rae's healie-doo…" (Raven visibly cringed at the mention of the nickname) "I think I should juss do thissun analog. _Old-school healies_ , y'know." At this point, even Bruce had to hold back a chuckle.

"Well, that still leaves the issue of Riddler to deal with. I have to get back to Gotham, but I think I know someone who can help…" the Batman smirked as he pulled out his phone, holding it up to his ear. "… Hey, it's me. Your semester just let out, right? Because I'm calling in a solid you owe me."


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

 _Jump City General Hospital. May 5th, 2018. 12:23 AM._

"Mr. Wayne! What can you tell us about your fiancée?"

"Mr. Wayne, why did you decide to get engaged so early on?"

"Damian, when are you planning on having the wedding!?"

"Mr. Wayne, have the two been physical with one another yet?"

Damian let out an irritated groan as he shuffled over to a little table in the hospital cafeteria, tugging at his hospital gown as he sat down across from Raven and Cassandra. Being the son of Bruce Wayne often brought with it even more unwanted attention than being the son of Batman. He turned, smiling as he put on his best "rich young socialite" face to address the members of Jump City's press.

"Alright, alright, in order…" the young Titan began. "One: her name is Rachel Roth, and she's _awesome_. Two: it was a spur of the moment thing, and we both agreed that a Promise Ring seemed a little redundant. Three: we've decided to have a prolonged engagement. Details about our wedding are TBA _if and when_ we deem it appropriate. And who's the idiot who asked whether or not we've been doin' it?" Damian scanned the mob of reporters until one of them slowly raised his hand. "You. Shame on you, and shame on your paper. I'm fifteen years old, I can't even have my own Netflix account yet. Of _course_ we're not havin' sex."

"Seems like the apple falls pretty far from the tree then, doesn't it?" The reporter shot back with a sudden burst of confidence.

Damian snickered. "Yeah, I guess it does."

"Good thing, too!" Everyone in the room turned to see Bruce Wayne saunter across the cafeteria, a bag of hot sandwiches in his hand. After a collective gasp, the fleet off paparazzi began snapping photo after photo of the billionaire as he moved to join the others at the table.

"Oh, good! You found the sub shop!" Damian grinned as his father sat down next to him, passing out a sandwich to each of his children at the table.

"Your buddy Garfield would hate me if he saw what I got us all," Bruce grinned as he unwrapped his meal, taking in a deep breath as steam wafted from the pile of meat and bread into his. "No tofu here, ladies and gents!"

This of course invoked a swarm of new questions and pestering from the members of the media, to which Bruce responded by pulling out a small device from his pocket, pressing a button which disabled the countless cameras and microphones surrounding them.

"Get lost, ya vultures!" Bruce waved his hand dismissively as the crowd of people dispersed, until only one paparazzo remained.

"Just one more question…" the man in the big hat and coat insisted as he approached the table.

"Leave," Cassandra replied, her voice low. "Please."

"Aw, come on Cassie…" a flurry of his coat later, everyone smiled as Tim Drake dropped into the seat beside his sister. "Is that any way to talk to family?"

" _Tim!_ " Cass threw her arms around Tim as everyone laughed. "You made it!"

"Hey, I heard you guys needed my help! What was I supposed to do, say no? Besides, I owed Dad a favor," Tim replied with a wink. "Steph is out lookin' for a place to park."

"You let _Stephanie_ drive you here?" Damian laughed softly, taking care not to aggravate his injuries. "You're braver than I gave you credit for, Timothy."

" _Excuse you?_ " Raven cocked an eyebrow as she looked across the table at her fiancé. "You must have hit your head harder than you thought, otherwise you would remember why you're out of commission to begin with."

"Drunk drivers? Oh, I _remember_ that." Damian smirked back at her, his cheeks stuffed with brisket.

"I would have said 'lowering your defenses on the road', but sure. That too," Bruce joked, holding a half of his sandwich up to Tim. "Want some?"

"I'm good, thanks." Drake waved off Bruce's offer. "But again, Dame? Don't even worry about Nygma. Steph and I can take care of everything. I've been a Titan before… sure, it was pre-Raven, but the team can't have changed THAT much, right?"

Raven took in a hiss of a breath through her teeth. "Well…"

Tim turned to Raven, one brow raised. "… what is that supposed to mean? Like… who's on the roster right now?"

"Well… Beast Boy is still there," Damian started, "and so is his girlfriend Terra, the geomancer… then of course there's Superboy, Blue Beetle…"

"Who?"

"He's cool, don't worry. Then Kori, Raven, and I guess you and Spoiler–"

"Well, no." Raven whipped her head back around to Damian. "No Raven. I'm not leaving."

"Right. Unless you _absolutely need to_ , but let's not get into that. We're good…" Damian looked back down at his lunch thoughtfully for a moment, then turned his eyes back to Tim. "There's another thing I need you to keep an eye out for, though. There's, uhh… there's someone else going around right now. An impostor… someone pretending to be Red X. I don't know who they are exactly, but I know they're female, about my height, and evidence suggests that they're former League of Assassins. She referred to me as 'Prince', she knows my name, her fighting style is identical to mine… but I can't figure out who exactly they are."

Tim paused for a moment before nodding solemnly. "If she shows up, we'll catch her. I promise."

…

Damian was draped over his bed, his eyes wandering over the ceiling and his fingers tracing little squiggles into the back of Raven's hand on his chest. He'd appreciated everyone giving the two of them some time alone; Tim and Stephanie had left for Titans Tower, and his father and sister decided to explore the city a bit, so it had been just him and Raven for the past hour or so. He wanted to talk to her about some things that had been weighing on his mind lately, but he decided it wasn't the time for that. Right now, he just wanted to appreciate her presence, take in the silence, draw serenity from her. Days like this were becoming more and more frequent in Damian's life, which he wasn't sure how to feel about… but he decided to enjoy it while he could.

And he did… right up until the door opened, and the nurse came back into the room.

"Hey Mr. Wayne!" The woman chirped brightly. She was young, probably just fresh out of med school, and did her best to keep smiling throughout her interactions with, Damian could only assume, all of her patients. Given that he was in the ICU, Damian understood that the other patients she must have to tend to were probably all much worse off than him, so he appreciated her efforts. "Hope now isn't a bad time, but we gotta keep those incisions clean."

"You're fine, ma'am," Damian replied with a smile, doing his best to give off positive vibes for the nurse. "After all, infection is the last thing we need, isn't it?"

"You got that right." The young attendant nodded with a smile as she helped Damian lean forward. "Okay, let's get this gown off ya…"

"Oh!" Raven turned to the window, her cheeks a slight shade of pink. "Uh, should I leave the room?"

The nurse turned to Raven quizzically. "I don't see why. So long as you're not touching the stitches or anything, you prob'ly won't get 'em contaminated…"

"It's not that, ma'am…" Damian rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "We've never really seen each other… _y'know._ "

"Oh! Really?" The young woman seemed surprised. "That's a little odd. I mean, aren't you two… actually nevermind, that's not my business. But you don't need to go anywhere, Ms. Roth." Raven kept her eyes to the window as the nurse tended to Damian's stitches. This took about six minutes, and when she left, Damian let out a sigh of relief.

"… is that weird?" Raven turned back to Damian with an expression that displayed her pondering. "We're getting married, but I've never actually seen you without… well, I've actually never even seen you without a shirt."

"Well, you have to keep in mind, we've got this whole five-year engagement thing going…" Damian replied, stopping to gather his thoughts. "… so y'know, we're taking that five year period to really get to know everything we can about each other. Like, yeah, we've been together for a whole year, you've looked into the deepest corners of my soul, and I'm closer to you than anyone else in the world, but… y'know. I still don't know everything about you."

"Yeah… I guess we still have a good bit to learn about one another." The half-demon sat down gently on the side of the bed. "… Besides, I kind of like not focusing on the physicality of our relationship. I love you for you, not your appearance."

"Exactly," Damian said with a nod. "I mean, that's not to say you're not physically…"

"Oh, I think we've covered _that._ " Raven winked, recalling a previous conversation about the physical aspects of their relationship. Damian blushed as the witch-girl snickered.

"… How do you think Tim is gonna handle the team?" The Son of Batman turned his gaze back to the window. Clearly, this had been weighing on his mind all day; it wasn't in Damian's nature to sit on the sidelines, so this _"analog recovery"_ business was something he hadn't done since he joined the Titans. His warrior spirit yearned to return to Titans Tower, to get back to the streets of his city, to keep his people safe. Raven felt this struggle within him, and placed a comforting hand on his knee.

"They'll be okay, Damian," she whispered, smiling softly as Damian turned to look back at her. "Promise. You don't have to worry. Okay?"

Damian smiled back, letting his concerns drift to the back of his mind as she captured his attention with her gaze. "Okay."


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

 _Titans Tower. May 11th, 2018. 4:34 PM._

Damian had to admit… being on bed rest had its perks.

Don't misunderstand, he still hated not being out in the field; not using his talents to keep Jump City clean made him feel lazy, and not being able to do so made him feel impotent. But at the very least, he was able to contribute as an extra mind back at home base, and his father and sister had come to do their part to keep Jump protected for awhile (leaving Gotham in the hands of Todd, Kelley, and the GCPD until they returned). And aside from that, Damian did enjoy being able to spend more downtime with his friends than usual; even though they kept to their regular schedules, Damian's regimen had always been more demanding than those of the other Titans. Now that he wasn't constantly training, he was able to enjoy time with his teammates. A movie with Jon and Jaime, television with Garfield and Tara… he even found time to talk to Kori and learn a bit more about Tamaranean culture, which he'd brushed off before rather harshly. And of course, being stuck at home also came with the added bonus of spending more time with his fiancée; Raven insisted on being by his side at almost all times, which he quietly thanked Azar for again and again. It made his predicament of being stuck in a wheelchair for the remainder of his recovery much more bearable knowing it was her wheeling him around. (Damian still couldn't wrap his head around the decision to put him in a chair; the doctors specifically said that he was fine, that there was no serious injury aside from his concussion. But apparently, walking around the hospital revealed that he had been damaging the muscles in his back little by little with each step, so now he wouldn't be allowed to walk again until the wounds healed completely and the stitches came out.)

Hands down, though, the best part of the experience of being stuck at the Tower was getting to FaceTime Grayson and Barbara to see how Tommy was growing. For the past three days, Damian got a call at about three in the afternoon, and when he answered his phone, there on his screen popped up the little five-week-old baby, blinking and waving his hands around, reaching for his mother's phone. He and Raven would sit on the couch or in Damian's bed and coo into the camera, and he and Grayson would carry on about whatever cases they had been working on lately (the debate on the ethics of this had long since been abandoned, especially considering the fact that both Red X and Nightwing had been taught by Batman that any information relating to a crime was to be shared amongst members of the family, so that they could help one another protect their respective cities). Tommy was certainly still small; Damian had been told he was on the small side as an infant, but he never realized just how small that meant. Tommy was a month old, but he still fit perfectly well into his newborn clothes… perhaps all babies were like that, but it had never occurred to Damian before. Damian had held kittens bigger than his nephew. Still, looking into those bright blue eyes every day made the frustration of his current lack of mobility much easier to bear.

And then there were days like this one. Days that felt like they were spent almost entirely in bed, his Beloved curled up next to him, eyes shut as the afternoon sun cast yellow-orange rays of light in through his window. Days that felt still, quiet. Days that made the long-term goal of retiring seem more and more appealing. After all, if he wasn't out fighting crime all night, wouldn't that mean more quality time he could spend with his Raven? That sounded like a dream… of course, Damian knew he could never just quit. As much as it killed to admit it, the Son of Batman knew that the people of his city depended on him. But perhaps years from now, when things were better, once the world didn't need heroes anymore… then he could rest. But for now, Damian smiled and focused on the woman with her head on his chest, letting his mind focus on her warmth, on the rise and fall of her quiet breath. He slowly pulled her closer in his arms, taking care not to wake her as he held her close to him. This was good… this made it worth not walking for awhile.

"Mmmh…"

Damian slowly opened one eye and peeked down at the girl beside him, and blushed at the little smile that played on her lips. She shifted a bit, crawling further up the bed in her sleep and nestling her head into Damian's neck.

"Hmmm…" Raven sighed in her sleep as her hand ran up Damian's chest before slipping it over his shoulder. Damian just smiled and planted a quick kiss on her forehead. She looked so happy like this… he would never forgive himself if he were to accidentally–

" _Oh, Tiiiiiitaaaaaaaans~!"_

… That bastard.

Raven groaned, pulling the covers over her head as Damian reached for his phone on the nightstand. "Make him go awaaaay…" the witch-girl whined groggily. Damian's brow furrowed as he slid his mask back on and held the phone up to his face.

"What do you want, Riddler?" Red X growled.

" _Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! Did I mistakenly interrupt anything important?"_ Nygma's voice was dripping with sarcasm. _"And please, PLEASE tell me you actually sleep with your mask on. That is_ so _you."_

"Shut up and get on with your stupid riddle, Nashton," Damian barked.

" _Okay, one? Rude."_ Riddler's voice suddenly became harsh, angry. _"Two, don't EVER call me that. You call me Nygma or Riddler. Eddie Nashton is dead. And third, I'll give you my riddles on my OWN schedule, when I decide I want you to be stumped. You're very lucky that right now happens to be one of those times."_

"Look, I'm in the middle of recovering from surgery right now. I'm sort of stuck in a wheelchair for the time being, so forward your stupid game to Red Robin. He's filling in for me."

" _O-oh. Oh? Well… that's unfortunate."_ His face was still concealed, but Damian swore he could practically hear Riddler frowning. _"My puzzles require you to be able to move around Jump City. Given that that's the case, I have to be able to challenge you physically in order to challenge you mentally. And if I can't properly challenge you physically, then there's no point to the challenges I've put together for you!"_

"Look, just…" Damian rubbed his eyes in frustration, pinching at the bridge of his nose. "I know you can get into contact with Red Robin. Just pose all your challenges to him, he's here subbing for me. Okay? I need to get back to sleep. The sooner I get healed, the sooner I can get back to my job…"

" _But I wasn't planning on beating Red Robin until after you! This is all wrong!"_ Damian could detect the panic in Riddler's voice.

"Look, I'm… sorry? I guess? But I'm not going anywhere for awhile. Just… deal with it." Damian hit the end call button, dropping the phone back onto his nightstand as Raven's head crept out from underneath the blanket.

"Damian…?"

"Yeah, Raven?"

"… being a superhero sucks."

"… Yeah, it does."

The witch-girl slowly lifted her head up and stared blankly at the glass walk at the far end of the room. She raised a lazy hand, and the curtains pulled themselves shut, blocking out the late-day sunbeams. Damian grinned as Raven brought herself back down over him, wrapping her arm back around his neck. She'd best take care, or she was going to slip out of the hero habit. But one more day of lazing around in bed wouldn't hurt anyone, would it? He put his arms around her waist, and decided to himself that no, it wouldn't hurt anyone at all. In fact, Raven could use the break after everything going on recently with his injury, and helping train Jonathan, and the false Red X. She's been working so hard lately, she needed to rest a bit; she hardly ever took any personal time. Barring his family, he hadn't seen someone so dedicated to what they do since…

"… Oh crap, that's _it_."

…

Tim chuckled as he darted across the training room, narrowly evading Jon's heat vision as he ran circles around the fourteen-year-old. He was happy to help train the new Titans as best he could, but this? This was just fun. Apparently, Superman's son trains by getting really mad. And if there was anything Dick taught him about being a Robin, it was how to piss people off. The kid was fast, sure, maybe even faster than a speeding bullet. But Tim knew how to distract, keep Jon's eyes off him, even in the open space of the training room. He was getting better, almost managed to slice through Tim's cape a minute ago, but he still had a lot to learn; Jon let his heat control his actions, affect his judgment. He needed to learn to use his head.

" **STAND STILL SO I CAN BLAST YOU, YA DUMB BIRD!** " Jon yelled as he whipped his head around, firing another burst of heat from his eyes that just barely singed Red Robin's hair. Tim's eyes widened as he arced through the air, and he almost hesitated as he lighted on the floormat. But Tim was nothing if not a quick thinker, and he realized it was probably time to go on the offensive.

"Come on, short stack! You're getting carried away, that's dangerous!" the former Titan jeered as he began to serpentine his way closer to Jon. He reached into his belt and quickly equipped his set of red knuckles–he knew Kryptonite was going to be the only way he'd be able to turn this around without those bulky suits of armor Bruce had designed, but Tim had no intention of killing the kid. After a quick front flip over Jon's head (for style points; Steph was watching, after all), Tim dropped into stance and threw a jab at the boy's face. Jon quickly shifted out of the way, throwing his own hands up and moving into the offensive. He fought like a boxer once his powers were gone–Damian had no doubt been teaching him a thing or two. The kid was quick, bobbing and weaving in and out of Tim's range like a moth dancing around a candle. But Red Robin just smirked and closed the gap, throwing a few more shots Jon's way. One punch caught the little guy right in the side, and he dropped for just a second. Tim saw the opportunity, and raised his hands over his head to bring the hammer down and wrap this fight up, but Jon recovered just in time, and a loud CRACK sounded through the room as Superboy connected a fierce uppercut to Tim's jaw, sending the human flying across the room and leaving a sizable crack in the wall. At this point Starfire, who was observing from the sidelines, decided that was enough for today, and moved in to calm Jon down.

"That's enough, Jonathan!" Kori shouted, locking her arms around the hybrid alien. Jonathan struggled in her arms for a moment before sucking in several heated breaths through grit teeth. "Calm down, it's alright! You're okay, Jonny…"

"Don't call me Jonny…" Jon hissed. "Don't call me… _hah_ … _hahh_ … _huhhhhhh_ …"

"Sorry…" Kori whispered, stroking the youngest Titan's hair. "I won't do it again, okay?"

Jon nodded as the red glow faded from his eyes, and his body relaxed. "Mm… M'kay, I… I'm good…"

"There you are, little one…" the Tamaranean cooed as she squeezed Jon gently. "You're okay now."

"M'kay…"

Tim wiped the sweat from his brow, and grinned up at the camera where he knew Stephanie was looking back at him. "How'd we do, babe?"

" _Not bad T, but don't get cocky!"_ Spoiler's voice crackled over the intercom. _"You did pretty good to, Jonno! Real crash stuff there!"_

Jon slowly sank to the floor in exhaustion. "Thanks Ms. Stephanie… I'm doin' my best…"

" _Whoa… Tim, you better get up here. Bruce is back, and… you just need to get up here."_

Tim paused for a brief moment before walking out of the Training Room and heading for the Security Office. Steph seemed really worried over the intercom, which worried Tim. Was it about Damian's recovery, or something else?

As Tim stepped into the Security Office, he was greeted by Bruce's grimacing face… and Talia's. Tim wasn't expecting, but his brother's mother stood there looking back at him. And… oh crap, she was wearing a new uniform. Black suit, grey cloak, claws… some kind of blade on her right hand? What is this?

"… Bruce, what is this?"

Bruce let out a growl under his breath. "Damian thinks he's figured out who the fake X is. Turns out, she's got incredibly close ties to the al Ghuls… so we're bringing in Talia to hunt her down."

Tim nodded slowly. "Okay… so what do we call her?"

Talia pulled on her mask and hood. _"You may call me…"_ she hissed through her voice modulator. _"… Phantasm."_


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

 _Jump City. May 24th, 2018. 12:45 AM._

Raven sat cross-legged on her bed staring down at her fiancé's face with a look of disappointment. They both figured they'd eventually have to get around to it, they just… they didn't want it to be so soon. Damian's eyes stared back at Raven's, mirroring her expression. It was actually rather strange how it worked out; any normal person would be ecstatic at the chance to magically recover from a car crash in seconds. But getting thrown threw that windshield had, while rendering him wheelchair-bound for several weeks, allowed Damian to take great strides in his relationships with all of his friends. Among those strides were learning to cook with Jon (for someone who spent most of his time in Kansas as a farmhand, Kent made a surprisingly good pot roast), studying meditation with Garfield and Tara (Beast Boy was surprisingly tranquil at heart, especially for someone who called himself "Beast Boy"), helping Jaime learn more about the previous Blue Beetle Ted Kord (Damian never met the man directly, but his father spoke fondly of him; of all the heroes he'd known, Bruce felt that Kord was the most down-to-earth, the most human), and discovering that Kori had been developing her relationship with Todd and veteran Titan Roy Harper. (To what end this relationship was building, Damian didn't bother asking. He finally realized that not everything that goes on in Titans Tower was his business.) But of course, Raven knew all this… since she was there for nearly every second of it. She enjoyed spending quality time with everyone just as much as Damian did. She even got the opportunity to get to know Cassandra a bit better. While there had been something of a language barrier between them (Cassie was still getting accustomed to English), Raven found a kinship in Orphan quite similar to the one she found in Damian.

"It's been great, hasn't it?" Damian sighed as he let his eyes turn back to the ceiling.

Raven smiled as she traced her fingertips along his chest. "Yeah… but we have to get this done." She sighed, and carefully helped him pull himself up, until he was eye-level with her.

"Well… it'll be nice to walk on my own again, I'll say that." Damian smirked back at the witch-girl before leaning in and giving her lips a quick peck. Raven rolled her eyes and began to tug at Damian's shirt, which caught the boy off-guard.

"Yeah, I know, it's weird. But for really extensive injuries, I have to be able to see it to heal it," Raven explained. Damian nodded, blushing as he carefully removed his shirt and lowered himself onto his stomach in front of her. Raven looked down at the expanse of skin before her, and she had to pause for a moment. Even ignoring the bloody smears from where her lover in his infinite wisdom decided to remove his own stitches, Damian's back was already covered in battle scars; bullet holes, blade strokes, even what appeared to me claw marks from what had to either be a bear or some kind of big cat… but beneath all those marks, Damian's skin rippled with toned muscles and curved with his shoulders and spine. Damian was more on the lean side, no hulking muscleman, but…

It was a good few seconds before Raven realized she still hadn't laid a hand on him. She was just staring down at his back, running her eyes over every mark, every curve. Damian, however, noticed soon enough, grinning back at her over his shoulder. "Ohhhhh. You're kinda into this right now, aren't you?"

"Shut up," Raven snipped with a little smirk before gently placing her hand on his back, over his still-open wounds from where the glass of the windshield had been. Slowing her breath, her hands began to faintly glow with a familiar violet light, which slowly made its way into the wounds in Damian's back. In mere moments, the wounds in Damian's back had faded into more scars covering the canvas of flesh. Raven let out a heavy sigh; the wounds were not deep, but they had been numerous enough that healing them all had been somewhat taxing for her.

Damian swung his legs out in front of him and sat up straight, sliding right off the bed as he picked up his Red X top off the floor and slid it over his head. " _God_ , it's good to walk again…" the Son of Batman let out a low grunt as he pulled the shirt down the length of his torso. "Now I just have to keep my mother in check while we hunt down this impostor."

"About that, Damian…" Raven slid across the floor, wrapping her arms around Damian's waist as she gently rested her head on his shoulder. "Are you sure it's really her? I mean, if it's been this long since you even heard from her, how do you know she's still…"

"Because she's more than just League…" Damian's expression went grim as he spoke. "… she's an Al Ghul. Al Ghuls are like roaches… we're tough to kill."

…

"How much do you know about her?" Batman busied himself at Damian's computer screen, filling in a brand new file for this mysterious "false X" as he tossed the question over his shoulder to the mother of his child. Talia paced back and forth across their son's room, wracking her brain to come up with any information she could recall about their adversary.

"She was second in line to be the head of the Demon's Fist," the Phantasm began, "before my father died. She was trained alongside Damian for years, and they were nearly equal in skill… but Damian was just a hair's breadth ahead of her. I terminated the Demon's Fist project shortly after Deathstroke's assault on the League, and sent her to handle our chapter in Gibraltar."

"You gave her her own chapter?" Bruce cocked an eyebrow as he filled out the bio. "You must have had a lot of faith in this kid…"

"My brother's daughter was bred for the same purpose as my son and myself," Talia replied. "We were to supplant Ra's if anything happened to him. Damian was put at the top of the list only because he was male."

"What exactly happened to your brother, anyway?"

"Dusan? No idea…" the former assassin shrugged. "He's probably dead. Either way, if Damian is right about this false Red X, then she needs to be our first priority."

"Of course. Now assuming she's roughly the same height and weight as Damian, I just need a little more information…" the Dark Knight scrolled back up to the top of the page. "Hair."

"Black, with a red streak over her face."

"Eyes."

"Heterochromic. One green, one brown."

"Notable features."

"A scar over her right eye."

"Name."

Talia grimaced. "… Mara. _Mara al Ghul_."

…

Damian stood on the edge of the roof overlooking the river, watching the flowing water shimmer as it moved around Titans Island. It felt good to be on his own two feet again, and even better to be back in uniform. He had been on the sidelines quite long enough, and he was ready to hunt down the false X once and for all. Unfortunately, the false X turned out, if Damian's assumption was correct, to be his greatest rival: his cousin Mara. He hadn't even thought about Mara since he was a child. He figured she was stilled holed up somewhere in Gibraltar where his mother had sent her when Ra's was killed. He figured she'd probably die there, and it honestly never bothered him that much… to put it mildly, he was not particularly fond of Mara. She was every bit as aggressive and arrogant as he himself had been as a member of the League. The difference was that Damian had had family and friends to help him mature into something more than just the living weapon he believed himself to be… Mara had no one.

"Hey. Good to see ya up and about again."

Damian looked over his shoulder as Garfield Logan stepped up onto the edge beside him. There was a tired look in his emerald eyes, a look that spoke of far more than just physical exhaustion... Garfield had been struggling lately. A moment passed between them, and the Changeling glanced down at his stub and smirked.

"Did you know you can still feel it?" Garfield asked in a low voice.

Damian blinked for a moment. Was this… was this conversation actually about to happen? "Feel… what?"

Beast Boy looked over at Damian before raising what was left of his arm up for him to see. "I can still feel it… it itches. And I can't scratch it."

Damian winced at the thought. "That has to be rough…"

"Could be worse…" Logan continued. "the worst is when it gets numb. Like pins and needles… I can't smack it against anything to get it to wake up, so it just tingles until it burns. It's brutal."

Damian sighed. "Garfield, I'm sorry… I never meant for this to happen to you…"

Beast Boy smiled over at his teammate. "Relax, man. You did what you had to do. And it really wasn't too hard to adjust."

Damian knew this was a lie; he'd watched Garfield's transition into a one-handed lifestyle, and it was most definitely " _hard_ ". And _slow_. And _excruciating_. Even his transformations were one-armed… even one-winged, in the case of birds. Still, the shape-shifter somehow managed to learn to gallop as a three-legged stallion, cut through the waters as a one-finned shark, and he almost was able to discover a way to stay airborne with only one wing (sadly, he was unable to overcome the laws of physics in this case).

"But y'know what makes it all easier?" Garfield smiled as he turned and looked down to the grassy area just outside the Tower entrance, where Tara lie gazing up at the stars. "Waking up next to that girl every morning. Makes everything worth it."

Damian let his mind drift to Raven. In his head, he could see her reading on the couch in the livingroom, and he smiled. "Yeah… I can relate."


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

 _Jump City. June 3rd, 2018. 1:34 AM._

Something wasn't right.

Don't misunderstand, Jump City had always been more peaceful than Gotham. That much is easy to assume, and Damian already knew full well. But something just felt off about tonight… maybe it was the anticipation of Mara's next appearance. Not knowing what she had planned made everything more nerve-wracking, and knowing just what she was capable of only made things worse. Or maybe it was the fact that he was out on patrol with both of his parents. Talia had proven to be a bit more renegade as Phantasm than Damian or Bruce would have hoped, but Damian still felt the pressure of being observed by two of his greatest and closest teachers rather intently. Or perhaps it was the fact that Nashton was still at large… although not likely. Damian wasn't particularly concerned about him getting away; Riddler was far too stubborn to skip town in the middle of his convoluted trials. Whatever it was, Damian did not like it. Not one bit…

"Hey. You alright, D?"

Damian jerked back to reality to see the masked face of Jaime Reyes looking back at him. Jaime was a good man; the second-oldest of the Titans after Garfield (excluding Kori, of course), the Blue Beetle spent most of his downtime performing community service as a civilian. Volunteering at the local homeless shelter, cleaning up litter on the roadside, even joining up as a volunteer firefighter. (He just barely scraped past the age restriction, but he got in.) Even when he wasn't in the uniform, Jaime proved himself time and again to have the heart of a real hero.

"Yeah, sorry…" Damian ran a hand through his hair as he attempted to clear his head. "Just a lot going on tonight. I didn't exactly think my first mission back in the field would involve hunting down my long-lost cousin. Y'know?"

"Try to relax, _'mano_ ," Jaime replied, placing a hand on the younger Titan's shoulder. "Everything will be fine, promise. You got us here, we got your back." Damian nodded with a smile. That meant a lot coming from Reyes; after his initial hostility, Damian had come to admire the older Titan in an almost fraternal sense.

 _"Dame! You there, man?"_ Jonathan's voice crackled over the comlink. _"You guys got anything yet?"_

"Nothing yet, Superboy… and come on. We're on patrol right now. At least ACT like you know how being a superhero works." Damian grinned as he replied.

" _Yeah, yeah. So sorry, RED X,"_ the farmboy snickered. _"Just… does it seem quieter than usual to y'all, or is that just me?"_

"I know what you mean…" Jaime chimed in. "Usually we get at least a few _cabrónes_ tryin' to knock over the 7-11 here on Gomez, right? What gives?"

"I dunno, but I'm not sure I like it…" Damian continued solemnly. "I mean, yay, there's no crooks out tonight, but everything just feels uneasy…"

"I agree." Damian looked over his shoulder to see his father standing behind him, his cape flowing back with the wind. "Something doesn't feel right about tonight. I'm not sure why, but it's almost like… like something is keeping everyone inside. Out of sight. Like…"

Damian squinted his eyes as he peered out over the street below. "Like they know we're coming for her."

" _Dios mío_ …" Beetle muttered under his breath. "Wait a second. You said she was part of that Assassin's Creed thing right?"

" _League of Assassins,_ " Damian corrected, "but yes. Why?"

"Well what happened to everyone she was in charge of?"

Damian stopped to think, and his eyes went wide as the realization dawned on him. The entire Gibraltar chapter of the League was under Mara's command. If she had been in hiding all this time…

"… Hundreds… no, _thousands_ of the world's most dangerous killers… and they all just dropped under the radar with Mara… and now that Mara's coming out of hiding…"

A loud crack of explosives and a fireball rising into the night sky from the Wayne Enterprises building uptown cut off the Titan's musing.

Bruce let out a heavy growl as he pulled out his grapnel gun. "… **great.** "

 _Wayne Enterprises, Jump City Headquarters. June 3rd, 2018. 1:43 AM._

Tara and Raven flew into the smoldering hole in the top of the building, immediately equipping their breathers as they entered the smoke-filled conference room. Tara, upon looking around the room to find a television mounted to the wall to be the only piece of furnishing present, noted to herself that there was a suspicious lack of tables and chairs, considering how much work got done here every day. Damian made sure of that; even if he was only fifteen, Damian inherited his father's work ethic. Every now and then he popped in to ensure things were still running smoothly, and every time the boy visited, things were running like a well-oiled machine. This was because of one single incident where Damian had half the Board of Directors fired, calling them a "hindrance to his company". Bruce later called, fuming, demanding to know why Damian made this decision without consulting him first. As it turns out, Damian had been investigating everyone in the Jump branch. The members of the Board he'd fired were embezzling from the company. Millions lost without anyone the wiser until Damian noticed. From then on, nobody dared to cross the boy whenever he made his rounds about the place.

Of course, none of this was relevant at the moment, because there was no board meeting going on tonight. The building was practically deserted… Except for one unwanted visitor in the middle of the room, surrounded in flames: the false Red X. She stared back at the pair of heroines as they made their way into the room, her stare penetrating their nerves underneath the opaque lenses in her mask.

"Hmm…" the fake Titan's voice was finally clear, without the concealment of her voice filter. "You're not who I was hoping to see."

"You're not exactly my first choice of dance partner either, dude," Terra quipped in response. "Heck, I had a date tonight."

"Cute," the false X hissed beneath her mask. "I almost like you, blondie. If it weren't for the fact that both of you will be dead soon, I'd almost say I would keep you around just for your wit."

"That's enough," Raven interjected. "You need to end this, Mara. We know who you are, and we know you're here for Damian."

The fake X said nothing, staring back at Raven for a moment before slowly reaching up and pulling off her mask. As her black hair fell down to her shoulders around her face, a lock of red drooping down between her eyes, Raven grimaced as Damian's suspicions were confirmed: this was definitely Mara al Ghul. She matched his description perfectly… and she had the same intense look in her eyes as Damian did when he was angry. They were family, alright.

"And you must be Raven…" Mara said with a smirk. "… Damian's blushing bride-to-be. Tell me, how exactly could you hate yourself enough to fall for a monster like him?"

"Damian's not half the monster you claim him to be," the witch-girl answered. "And he's hardly half the monster I am."

"Oh, so I've heard!" Mara shot back, her smirk stretched into a grin. "Daughter of Satan, and all that! It's a wonder how you have any friends at all, isn't it?"

"Really? That's your best comeback?" Tara cocked an eyebrow as she chimed in. "Get with it, kid. That was just sad."

Mara rolled her eyes. "Okay, I think that's enough." The false X snapped her fingers, and the TV switched on. Terra froze when the screen displayed Garfield's unconscious body, a dark figure holding a single sai against his throat.

"He really should learn to mind his surroundings, wouldn't you say?" Mara crossed her arms as she stared Terra down.

The three of them remained silent for several seconds as Terra clenched her fists, her whole body trembling with anger and fear. She finally turned back to the false X.

"What do you want?"

 _Wayne Enterprises, Jump City Headquarters. June 3rd, 2018. 2:02 AM._

Damian lighted on the ground in the empty conference room quiet as a mouse. As his eyes darted back and forth across the room, he felt himself becoming more and more uneasy when nothing notable revealed itself. The fire from the explosion had died out in the time it took to get here (which would have been considerably sooner if Damian's father hadn't been so insistent on coming with him), which meant the culprit may very well have disappeared as well. Either way, at least Damian had something to do now; this patrol was shaping up to be a complete bust. Thank Azar he'd been able to convince Batman to start searching from the first floor, because he didn't know how much more of the old man's growled complaints he could stand tonight. And boy, would he be griping right now; the conference room was practically cleared out. All that was left was a TV set…

… with a webcam. _Come on Damian, duh._

As if on cue, the television switched on. Damian was greeted to the face of his cousin Mara, her heterochromic eyes boring into him even from the other side of the screen. This was NOT an encounter he was looking forward to.

"Mara." Damian clenched his teeth as the name rumbled out of his chest.

" _Damian."_ The girl on the screen responded. _"I'm glad to see you're in good health, cousin."_

"Cut the crap," Red X barked back. "Tell me why you're here so we can be done with each other."

" _Snippy as always, I see!"_ Mara smirked. _"Fine. Let's get right down to business."_ The assassin swiveled the camera around the empty room she was in to reveal Raven, Tara, and an unconscious Garfield, all bound and gagged, each with an assassin of their own holding a blade to their throat. _"I have your friends here, Damian. I'm in the basement of this building. If I see your father, they die. If I see the robot-man, they die. If I see the aliens, they die. In case you still don't get what I'm saying…"_

"Come alone, yeah. I got it," Damian replied roughly. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

" _Good. I look forward to seeing you soon, cousin."_ Mara smirked into the camera.

Damian sneered. "Screw off, Scarface."

…

It wasn't easy to slip past his father without him noticing, but Damian finally made his way into the basement. He couldn't help but grumble as he made his way slowly through the maze of wooden pallets and crates. In his head, Damian made a note that this place needed to be organized as soon as possible. He'd let the idiots know later, once Mara was in custody.

As Damian rounded the corner around an unnecessarily tall crate (maybe it was necessary, Damian didn't know what was inside… he didn't really care either way, he was just irritated), he froze when he saw Beast Boy's unmoving body splayed across the ground. Tossing his gaze quickly around the room, he rushed to the Changeling's side, feeling for a pulse, letting out a sigh of relief when he found it.

"Wake up, Logan," he whispered, gently slapping Beast Boy's face as he did so. The older Titan winced as he slowly stirred awake. His forest-green eyes locked with Damian's, and he let out a quiet groan.

"Hey, X…" Garfield hissed groggily. "How long have I been out…?"

"I have no idea," Damian replied, helping Gar to his feet. "You got kidnapped by my cousin. We're gonna get you out of here, but first I need you to help me find Tara and Raven. Alright?"

Garfield's eyes widened. "They got Tara?"

"BB, calm down." Damian grabbed Gar's shoulders, trying to keep his attention. "I know, you're angry. She has Raven too, I know how you're feeling right now. But I need you to stay with me, okay? We're doing this together."

Beast Boy nodded slowly. "Yeah… yeah, okay. I'm good. Let's go."

"Alright," Damian handed Gar a spare earpiece. "Try to keep quiet." Gar nodded, and quickly snuck off in one direction as he slipped the earpiece into place, Damian going the other way. This wasn't how he was hoping this would go; he was hoping Mara would just make her demands up front. He could probably talk her into letting his friends go, then take her in a straight fight, even without his weapons. But of course it couldn't be that simple. This was Mara they were dealing with. Mara has always been awful.

Damian came around another corner to see Tara, still bound and gagged. He rushed to help her up, quickly cutting her bonds away with an X-star and pulling her to her feet. He held a finger up to his lips, silently telling her to keep her voice down, then beckoned her to follow. After searching for another minute or so, Garfield's hushed voice sounded over the earpiece; he'd found Raven. Damian sighed with relief, smiling as he thanked Azar for her safety, and gave the order to move for the exit. Retracing their way out was simple enough, and for a moment as they regrouped it seemed as if everyone would be getting out just fine.

"Has anyone seen her?" Damian asked quietly as the four Titans made their way towards the exit.

"Not yet, but I'm sure she's still around," Raven replied, her voice hushed. "She made it pretty clear this was all about you. She wants you dead."

"Kinda figured she wanted us all dead…" the Son of Batman mused as he reached for the elevator button. "Look, can you take everyone up to my father? He's probably looping back down to the bottom floor by now."

"Damian, I'm not leaving you down here with her by yourself," Raven insisted.

"Yes you are," Damian grunted. "I need you to. You have to get these two out of here."

"Damian, we can handle ourselves," Garfield interjected. "Y'know I'm a grown man, right?"

"Yes. You also have one arm and probably a concussion," Red X replied as the elevator door began to open. "Just get going before Mara–"

Before Damian could finish his thought, he was interrupted by the crack of a steel boot heel to his chest that sent him flying back down the stairs as Mara leapt out of the elevator at him. Before any of the Titans could react, the girl whipped out a pair of pistols and aimed directly for Damian's head.

"The three of you get into the elevator. Now. If anyone tries anything, he dies." Mara pulled back the hammer on both guns, the clicks acting as a grim period establishing her point. After a moment of hesitation, the three Titans boarded the elevator.

"Damian…" Raven called out, "be careful."

"I will," the boy replied as the elevator doors closed. "I love you."

As the elevator carried the other Titans away to the main building, Mara lifted her weapons away from their target, slowly making her way down the stairs as Damian rose to his feet. Once he had stood up properly, Mara tossed a pistol his way.

"What the…" Damian looked down with disgust as he tossed the gun aside. "No way. I don't do guns."

"I know," Mara sighed as she cocked an eyebrow. "I know all about your precious rules. I've been keeping my eye on you ever since Grandfather died. And honestly, I'm disappointed. You could have been so much _more_ than what you are, cousin."

"What? A murderer? A danger to society? Don't start, Mara." Damian scowled back at his cousin, crossing his arms as he did so. "I got out when I could because Ra's was wrong."

"You dishonor your family by spitting his name!" Mara shrieked as she cracked her pistol across Damian's face, causing him to drop to his knees as she aimed the gun between his eyes. "Have you forgotten what you were born to do? Who you were born to be?! _You are_ _Ibn al Xu'ffasch!_ _You are an al Ghul!_ "

Damian glared back up at Mara for a moment. "No, Mara… I'm not an al Ghul. Not anymore…" Letting out a sigh, the boy pressed his forehead against the tip of the weapon as his eyes closed. "Do it if you must. But I'm not an al Ghul… I'm a Wayne. I'll always be a Wayne."

Time seemed to stop for a moment.

They say when you face your death, your life flashes before your eyes… As it turns out, that's not entirely true. Damian knows from personal experience, having died twice already. You don't see your whole life; all you see is the important parts. The things that mattered most. The people you loved more than anything else. And in this moment, it all started to happen again… his parents, Grayson, Alfred, his team, Titus, Jonathan. All his fondest memories rushed to the forefront of his mind, and finally, one last time, he saw his Raven, dressed all in white, smiling back at him with her hand outstretched. He smiled, and in his mind he reached out to take hold of her hand…

The gun clattered to the floor.

Damian opened his eyes to see Mara staring down at him, wide-eyed and trembling. A single tear ran down the length of her face.

"I don't understand…" the girl whispered. "Why? Why did… why did he choose _you_? Why did he _always_ choose _you_?"

Damian sighed as he rose to his feet once more. "Ra's al Ghul was a vile man. He chose me only because I was male. He wanted a man to lead this world. That's why he chose me over you or my mother. Nothing more than that."

"I gave him _everything_ … I was his _tool_ , an extension of _him_." Mara's hands clenched into shaking fists as she fought back her tears. "And... and for everything I gave…"

Damian put his arms around the girl. "I know, Mara… I'm sorry. I let him control me too, for years. But it's over now… Let us help you find yourself. Let us help you decide who to be, so you can move forward."

After a moment, Mara's hands slowly came up around Damian's back, and the two of them pulled each other in tightly. Two sides of the same coin, the last two of the al Ghul bloodline. After years of hatred, it was clear now that they were not so different after all. It would take time, but Mara would heal. And Damian owed it to her to be–

Damian's eyes crashed back open as he felt the sting of Mara's X-blades dig into his back.

"I can't believe you fell for that!" Mara snickered as she pulled her blades out of Damian's back, kicking him back down. The boy cursed himself for dropping his defenses like that; what did he expect Mara to do? This was practically the same stunt Wilson had pulled on him before. Fortunately she hadn't pierced his heart, so he knew he wasn't quite dying yet, but he still had to act fast. Shoving off with his arms and biting back the pain, Damian launched upwards, locking his legs around Mara's neck and throwing the two of them in a wide circle as they fell to the ground, Damian now sitting on Mara's chest. Having snagged the upper hand away, Damian began throwing his fists across Mara's face again and again, hoping to put her down before things got anymore out of hand. But before he could cross her again, the true Red X let out a howl as he felt Mara's fingers digging into the open wounds in his back, instinctively throwing himself off of her to escape the stinging pain. As the girl scrambled to her feet, Damian equipped his own X-blades and threw himself at her, unleashing a fearsome roar as he took back the offensive. The _twannng_ of blades clashing rang out again and again as the two X's tore through the maze of crates, swiping at one another like lions battling for dominance over their pride.

"You think you can seriously do this, Titan?!" Mara jabbed as she leapt towards Damian. "You're already bleeding out! You're only alive right now because I want to _enjoy_ this kill!"

" **Shut up.** " Damian kept his words short as he fought back at the girl. She was right, though; he was losing blood fast, and he couldn't keep up the fight much longer. He had to put Mara down fast. Reaching into his belt, he began slinging tranq-stars in her direction as quickly as he could. Unfortunately the weakness from his blood loss hindered his judgment, and he couldn't quite get his aim right. Mara grinned as she saw her cousin slipping up, and pulled out a handful of her own X-stars, flinging them all around the labyrinth of boxes. As soon as they made contact, the shuriken all burst into flames, creating a haze of smoke and fire all around, dizzying Damian even further. Hacking and coughing, his eyes stinging from the smoke in the air, Damian struggled to keep his footing. Before he could react, he felt Mara's X-blades plunge into his stomach, driving the breath from his lungs. Slowly he found himself unable to stand, and dropped to his knees, Mara's blades now crossed at his throat. The young Titan looked up to see his cousin grinning wildly down at him.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this day…" Mara began. "Your mother thought she'd dealt with us when she disbanded the rest of the League, but by then my chapter had sworn their fealty to me. Now with your death, and her heinous discarding of our family's legacy, _I_ am the only one left to lead our people to glory. _I_ am Mara, _the Demon's Head_ , and I will take this world as my grandfather saw fit!"

Damian's vision began to blur, and colors began to fade. His heart dropped into his stomach as Mara spoke; after everything, after years of fighting back against his heritage, his world came crashing down around him. There was nothing left he could do… he'd lost.

"Ohhhh, I've dreamt about this for _years_ , dear cousin," the girl continued. "You have _no idea_ how badly I wanted this. How long I've relished the ides of cutting your head _clean off_ …" the false X sucked in a hissed breath and began to giggle. "Oh gods, this is _it_! _This_ is my moment! After _all these years_ I can **finally** look into your eyes and _watch you_ _ **die!**_ " Damian felt a tear well up in his eyes as he heard the blades slide across one another, closing in on his neck…

But the hiss of steel scraping steel stopped as a large blade burst through Mara's chest.

Damian watched in horror as Mara's hands fell to her sides, and the girl was hoisted up helpless into the air on the massive blade, a figure looking like death itself emerging from the flames behind her. Without another word, the figure pulled Mara back into the fire, seemingly vanishing altogether.

Damian fell back, his vision almost gone, as a familiar cloak descended around him…

 _Titans Tower. June 5th, 2018. 2:30 PM._

Damian's vision was still blurry as he stirred back to consciousness. As he looked around the room, he made out the shape of two people, about his own age, seated beside him. As his vision cleared, the Son of Batman easily identified them as Raven and Jonathan.

"Guys…?" he croaked. His lips couldn't help but twitch into a smile as he saw the pair lift their heads and smile at him.

" _Dame!_ " Jon shouted, practically jumping onto him. "Man, I didn't think you were gonna make it for a while there!" It was lucky Damian was already healed, or the shock alone of being jolted so much may have killed him. The boy's wrapped their arms around one another and laughed.

"Ah, c'mon Jonno, you know me…" Damian said with a grin. "I can't just leave you guys to fend for yourselves, you'd be lost without me."

"Maybe so," Jon replied, pulling back and grinning down at the Wayne. "But I think you'd just miss me too much!"

Damian chuckled. "Maybe so, farmboy. Maybe so…" Slowly, Damian turned to look at Raven, who had a look of gratitude in her eyes as she smiled back at him. "You came back for me, didn't you?"

"Of course I did," Raven replied. "We're a team. We're better together."

Damian smiled as he took Raven's hand in his. "So… what happened to Mara?"

"Your mom happened, man…" Jon answered as he crawled off the bed back to Raven's side. "Killed the crap out of her."

" _Christ_ …" Damian moaned. "Where is my mother now?"

"We're not sure," Raven replied, putting her other hand over Damian's. "But she told us to tell you she's sorry she had to break the rule… and that she loves you."

"Man…" Damian pouted for a moment. "Well, that's what she does, I guess. Nothing we can really do about it. Any word on Riddler?"

"Oh yeah!" Jon grinned as he chimed in. "Turns out, he was hidin' under the Tower the whole time! Still had all the gold and everything! What a moron, right?" Damian cracked just for a moment, letting out a chuckle as Raven shook her head smiling.

"Oh, uhh…" Jon slowly backed out of the infirmary. "I should give y'all a minute. I'll see y'all around!" Damian nodded with a smile, and the hybrid stepped out of the room.

A moment of silence sat between the two Titans. Damian looked up at Raven, not knowing what to say…

"… Thank you for saving my life. Again." Damian smiled as the words came out of his mouth.

"No problem," Raven let her lips curl into a shy smile as she met his eyes again.

"How is everyone doing?" Damian sat up as he asked, and Raven gently sat down in front of him, both of them cross-legged on the infirmary bed facing one another.

"Actually, I kind of need to talk to you about that…" Raven's voice was low. "… we've made the decision to go our separate ways for awhile."

"What?" Damian was visibly taken aback by this. " _Why?_ Did something happen while I was out?"

"No, we just… everyone needs some time. Time to figure out who they are outside of the Titans." Raven leaned forward, her fingers gently tracing over Damian's knuckles as she spoke. "Gar and Tara are going on a trip across the country, Jon is going back to high school, Jaime got a job back in El Paso, Kori went back to Tamaran…"

"Tamaran? Seriously?" Damian looked back at the half-demon puzzled. "What about her sister?"

"She brought along some of the League to help her work things out…" Raven looked away for a moment blushing before she looked back at Damian. "And I was thinking… maybe I could come back to Gotham with you? If that's okay?"

Damian could feel his cheeks burning as his smile spread. "Why not? We might as well get started on planning."

Raven's smile spread into a grin as she threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around Damian's neck as they both tumbled out of the hospital bed. Damian laughed as he put his arms around Raven's waist and held her tight before helping her to her feet. As the two of them left the infirmary, they stopped by the window and looked out over the river, where they could see Jon hovering outside. The hybrid waved back at the two of them, then took off into the sky. Damian smiled; Jon would be around plenty enough, and Wayne Manor would be open to him day or night. He turned and looked at Raven, who kept on staring out at the river below them. He slowly put his arm around her, and pulled her in to press his lips to her cheek.

"Y'know, Raven…" he whispered. "I really don't know what I would do without you."


	39. Epilogue

_Rachel's Pond, Jump City. May 15th, 2023. 11:45 AM._

"God in heaven, Jon, why can't I stop shaking?"

"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet, Batboy."

"Jonathan, I'm serious! I've gone toe-to-toe with criminal psychopaths before, why am I so _nervous_?"

"Because this is bigger than that, Damian! Come on, this is gonna affect the rest of your life!"

"Look, just… Jon, I need to know something right now, before it's too late."

"Anything, Damian."

"… Are you sure my tie's on straight?"

Jonathan chuckled as he straightened his friend's tie for the fifth time. In over six years of fighting crime together, the half-alien had never seen Damian this unnerved over anything before. The poor guy was about to shake right out of his shoes. But who could blame him, really? Five years is a long build-up for the biggest day of your life. And being a Wayne, they certainly made it a grand enough affair; it was bound to be a regular who's-who of superheroes today. The turnout was shaping up to be as big as Dick and Barbara's had been, and certainly bigger than Tim and Stephanie's. But Jon didn't mean to compare, it was no competition… but both the bride and groom had expressed some modicum of discomfort. They both would have much rather had a simple, small ceremony with just their closest friends.

Which is why they were having this private wedding now.

It had been Jon's idea, actually; they both wanted to have a small gathering, just the Waynes, their fellow Titans (they had dropped the "Teen" not long after Garfield was old enough to drink). So they scheduled the second, bigger ceremony for that afternoon, and planned this first ceremony for just them. It was perfect.

"You alright, D?" Jon asked as he put a comforting hand on Damian's shoulder.

The Son of Batman let out a hefty sigh. "Yeah… yeah, I'm ready. Let's do this."

As the two boys came out from behind the tree, they couldn't help but smile back at their family and friends as Damian stood beside Jon's father. Closest thing to a minister, indeed; nobody remembered exactly when Clark got himself ordained, but here he was, happy to officiate. Damian gave a quick nod to Zatanna, who stood on Clark's other side; it hadn't been easy to find her, but Damian was relieved when the girl accepted the offer to be the Maid of Honor. It seemed only fitting; after all, Zatanna and her father had been there when no one else could.

The farmer put a hand on Damian's shoulder as the sound of a piano filled the air around them… the piece his grandmother Martha had written for his father when he was just a boy. Funny that this was the piece she chose, since in a way, this was the piece that brought her into the family all those years ago. And as everyone stood and turned around, there she was. Damian froze, unable to speak as she came slowly forward, dressed all in white with her long black hair cascaded gracefully down her back, looking down at the roses in her hand. Pennyworth Blues… they'd been her favorite ever since she first laid eyes on them in his father's garden. Damian had to cover his mouth for a moment, choking back his tears… This had to be some sort of dream. He didn't deserve this woman. Yet, here she was. His beautiful, perfect Raven. Her eyes flitted up to lock with his, and Damian couldn't contain his smile as a single tear escaped his eye, rolling down his cheek and dripping from his chin to the ground below.

"Well," Clark began, "I think I speak for all of us when I say we've been waiting for today to come for a _very_ long time." Everyone laughed for a moment as Damian wiped his face before the older Superman continued. "Folks, I can't tell you how proud I am of these two kids. When I first met them, my son had just left home to learn how to be a hero on his own. I was so scared that he would lose his way or get hurt out there, but the morning after he left, he called me up, and there they were. A couple of kids coming together to make my boy feel at home…" Clark turned to look at Jon, a smile forming under his peppered beard. "I don't think I need to tell you how invaluable these Damian and Raven have been to the work we do. They fight the good fight harder and harder each day, and it was with great pride that we welcomed them into the League last year…"

As Clark's voice trailed off, Raven turned her eyes back to him in confusion. Damian, however, just kept smiling back at his bride.

"… Which is why I'm sorry to say I won't be conducting this ceremony." Raven's eyes widened as the weathered Kryptonian began to rise into the air, still smiling. "Giovanni, go ahead."

Just as Raven opened her mouth to speak, she recognized the name Clark had spoken. Just then, an old man, with a much thicker mustache than he'd last been seen with, stepped out from behind the old tree and stood where Clark had been standing. As Raven and Damian turned their eyes to him, the old man offered a sweet smile at the bewildered bride. Raven's voice hitched in her throat as she realized who was standing before her, and just what was happening.

"… _Zatara?_ "

Giovanni Zatara nodded slowly as he looked back at her, brimming with pride. " _Buongiorno, Principessa._ "

The blue roses fell to the ground unceremoniously as Raven threw her arms around her teacher. The old magician let out a laugh as he wrapped the girl in his embrace.

"I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting, _Corva bella_ ," Zatara whispered softly as Raven regained her composure, taking her dropped flowers from Damian's hands.

"Zatara…" Raven's voice was shaky as she smiled back at the man. "… I can't believe you're here."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." The magician gave her a wink before turning his eyes back to the small gathering, with Clark now standing amongst them. "Well then, let's begin." The crowd took their seats as Zatara took off his hat.

"Friends, we are gathered today…"


	40. More from me!

Hey everyone! I know it's been a _long_ while since I last updated this fic. But I promise, I have a really good reason for that!

For the past four years, since before I ever started Fireworks, I've been working on my greatest work: a full-length fantasy novel. I'm proud to announce that as of today, **Blade of the Covenant,** my first original novel, is available to purchase! If you're a fan of my writing, or if you enjoy epic fantasy like DD or Lord of the Rings, I really think you'll enjoy this novel.

The paperback version of Blade of the Covenant is available right now on Amazon. An ebook is scheduled for release in April, followed by an audiobook sometime soon after that.

Thank you all so much for being here for this, and I look forward to hearing from you all soon!

https//dp/1937979342/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_El0zCbE8F6T0K


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